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ADVANCED COURSE 

IN 

YOGI PHILOSOPHY 

AND ORIENTAL 

OCCULTISM 



n 

BY YOGI RAMACHARAKA 

Author of "Science of Breath," "Hatha Yoga," 
"Fourteen Lessons," Etc. 



'When the pupil is ready, the teacher appears." 
"When I pass, all my children know me." 



1905 
THE YOGI PUBLICATION SOCIETY. 

Masonic Temple, Chicago, 111. 






$T8*E U8RA8V OF I 
CONGRESS. 

Two OcBtes Sees \ . ] 

OCT 26 !90S | 

©Sl»3fngftt Entry j 
\&cj. SL6~ 190 £ 

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Copyright 1904 
By The Yogi Publication Society 



Copyright 1905 
By The Yogi Publication Society 



PUBLISHER'S NOTICE 

The twelve lessons forming this volume were originally 
issued in the shape of monthly lessons, known as ' 'The Advanced 
Course in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism," during a 
period of twelve months beginning with October 1904, and 
ending September 1905. These lessons were intended as a con- 
tinuation of, or sequel to "The Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Phil- 
osophy and Oriental Occultism" issued during the previous 
year. 

We have been urged to print these "Advanced Course 1 ' 
lessons in book form, and the present volume in the result. 

Lessons I to IV, inclusive, consist of an analysis and ex- 
planation of the little occult manual known as "Light on the 
Path," and have been highly praised by lovers of that little book 
as well as advanced students in occultism. They are said to be 
superior to anything ever written along these lines. 

Lessons V to VII, inclusive, treat of the several branches 
of the Yogi Philosophy indicated by their titles. They contain 
very much information in a small space. 

Lessons VIII and IX, treat of Dharma, the Yogi philosophy 
of Ethics or Right Action. They have been favorably received 
by students of ethics, and teachers of morality of different schools. 
They afford a common ground upon which the differing schools 
may meet. 

Lessons X to XII, inclusive, form a wonderful trio of lessons 
upon the higher Yogi metaphysical and scientific teachings. 
Their clearness and comprehensiveness is startling, and the 
most perplexing metaphysical and scientific questions are an- 
swered in the simplest manner by the centuries old, Yogi phil- 
osophy expressed in modern terms. 

We trust that the "Advanced Course" lessons may prove 
as popular in book form as in their original shape. 

The author, as usual, declines to write a Preface for the 
book, saying that tie lessons "should speak for themselves." 

Yogi Publication Society. 
Masonic Temple, Chicago, 111. 
September 1, 1905. 



CONTENTS. 



Lesson 


I. 


Lesson 


II. 


Lesson 


III. 


Lesson 


IV. 


Lesson 


V. 


Lesson 


VI. 


Lesson 


VII. 


Lesson VIII. 


Lesson 


IX. 


Lesson 


X. 


Lesson 


XI. 


Lesson 


XII. 



Page. 

Some Light on the Path 1 

More Light on the Path 31 

Spiritual Consciousness 57 

The Voice of the Silence 85 

Karma Yoga 113 

Gnani Yoga 141 

Bhakti Yoga 169 

Dharma 197 

More about Dharma 223 

The Riddle of the Universe 253 

Matter and Force 283 

Mind and Spirit 311 



OTHER BOOKS BY 
THE SAME AUTHOR 

Science of Breath (80 pages) $0.50 

Hatha Yoga, or the Yogi Phil- 
osophy of Physical Well- 
Being (250 pages) - - 1.00 

Fourteen Lessons in Yogi 
Philosophy and Oriental 
Occultism (275 pages) - 1.00 

IN PREPARATION 

A Course in RAJA YOGA, or 
the Yogi Philosophy of Mental 
Development, Thought Force; 
Will Power, etc. 

PUBLISHED AND FOR SALE BY 

THE YOGI PUBLI 
CATION SOCIETY 

MASONIC TEMPLE CHICAGO, ILL. 



LESSON I. 

Some Light on the Path. 

We greet our old students who have returned to us 
for the Advanced Course. We feel that, hereafter, it 
will not be necessary to repeat the elementary ex- 
planations which formed such an important part of 
the former class work, and we may be able to go 
right to the heart of the subject, feeling assured that 
each student is prepared to receive the same. Many 
read the former lessons from curiosity — some have be- 
come so interested that they wish to go on — others 
have failed to find the sensational features for which 
they had hoped, and have dropped from the ranks. It 
is ever so. Many come, but only a certain percentage 
are ready to go on. Out of a thousand seeds sown 
by the farmer, only a hundred manifest life. But the 
work is intended for that hundred, and they will re- 
pay the farmer for his labor. In our seed sowing, it 
is even more satisfactory, for even the remaining nine 
hundred will show life at some time in the future. 
No occult teaching is ever wasted — all bears fruit in 
its own good time. We welcome the students in the 
Advanced Course — we congratulate ourselves in hav- 
ing such a large number of interested listeners — and 
we congratulate the students in having reached the 
stage in which they feel such an interest in the work, 
and in being ready to go on. 

1 



2 ADVANCED COURSE. 

We will take for the subject of our first lesson the 
Way of Attainment — 'The Path. And we know of no 
better method of directing the student's steps along 
The Path than to point out to him the unequaled 
precepts of the little manual "Light on the Path," 
written down by "M. C." (Mabel Collins, an English 
woman) at the request of some advanced mind (in or 
out of the flesh) who inspired it. In our notice in the 
last installment of the "Fourteen Lessons," we stated 
that we had in mind a little work which would per- 
haps make plainer the precepts of "Light on the 
Path" But, upon second thought, we have thought 
it preferable to make such writing a part of the Ad- 
vanced Course, instead of preparing it as a separate 
book for general distribution and sale. In this way 
we may speak at greater length, and with less reserve, 
knowing that the students of the course will under- 
stand it far better than would the general public. So, 
the little book will not be published, and the teaching 
will be given only in these lessons. We will quote 
from the little manual, precept after precept, following 
each with a brief explanation. 

In this connection it may be as well to state that 
"Light on the Path" is, practically, an inspired writ- 
ing, and is so carefully worded that it is capable of a 
variety of interpretations — it carries a message adapted 
to the varying requirements of the several planes and 
stages of life. The student is able to extract meanings 
suited to his stage of development. In this respect 
the work is different from ordinary writing. One 
must take something to the book, before he is able to 
obtain something from it. In "The Illumined Way" 
the work is interpreted, in part, upon the lines of the 



SOME LIGHT ON THE PATH. 3 

psychic or astral plane. Our interpretation will be 
designed to apply to the life of the student entering 
upon The Path — the beginner. It will endeavor to 
explain the first several precepts in the light of 
"Karma Yoga," and will then try to point out the 
plain meaning of the precepts, pertaining to the higher 
desires; then passing on to an explanation of the pre- 
cepts relating to the unfoldment of Spiritual Con- 
sciousness, which is indeed the key-note of the little 
manual. We will endeavor to make a little plainer to 
the student the hidden meanings of the little book — 
to put into plain homely English, the thoughts so beau- 
tifully expressed in the poetical imagery of the Orient. 
Our work will not contradict the interpretation given 
in "The Illumined Way" — it will merely go along side 
by side with it, on another plane of life. To some, it 
may seem a presumptuous undertaking to attempt to 
"interpret" that gem of occult teaching "Light on the 
Path"— but the undertaking has the approval of some 
for whose opinions we have respect — and has, what 
means still more to us* — 'the approval of our Higher 
Self. Crude though our work may be, it must be 
intended to reach some — else it would not have been 
suggested. 

"These rules are written for all disciples. Attend you 
to them." 

These rules are indeed written for all disciples, and 

it will be well for us all to attend to them. For the 

rules for the guidance of occultists have always been 

the same, and will always remain the same — in all 

time — in all countries— and under whatever name the 

teaching is imparted. For they are based upon the 

principles of truth, and have been tried, tested and 



4 ADVANCED COURSE. 

passed upon long ages ago, and have come down to 
us bearing the marks of the careful handling of the 
multitudes who have passed on before— our elder 
brothers in the Spirit — those who once trod the path 
upon which we are now entering — those who have 
passed on to heights which we shall one day mount. 
These rules are for all followers of The Path — they 
were written for such, and there are none better. They 
come to us from those who know. 

"Before the eyes can see, they must be incapable of tears. T 
Before the ear can hear, it must have lost its sensitiveness. 
Before the voice can speak in the presence of the Masters, it 
must have lost the power to wound. Before the soul can 
stand in the presence of the Masters, its feet must be washed 
in the blood of the heart." 

Before the eyes can see with the clear vision of the 
Spirit, they must have grown incapable of the tears 
of wounded pride — unkind criticism — unmerited abuse 
— unfriendly remarks — slights — sarcasm — the annoy- 
ances of everyday life — the failures and disappoint- 
ments of everyday existence. We do not mean that 
one should harden his soul against these things — on 
the contrary "hardening" forms no part of the occult 
teachings. On the material plane, one is constantly at 
the mercy of others on the same plane, and the more 
finely constituted one may be, the more keenly does 
he feel the pain of life, coming from without. And if 
he attempts to fight back — to pay off these backbitings 
and pinpricks in like kind — the more does he become 
enmeshed in the web of material life. His only chance 
of escape lies in growing so that he may rise above 
that plane of existence and dwell in the upper regions 
of the mind, and Spirit. This does not mean that he 
should run away from the world — on the contrary, if 



SOME LIGHT ON THE PATH. 5 

one attempts to run away from the world before he has 
learned its lessons, he will be thrust back into it, again 
and again, until he settles down to perform the task. 
But, nevertheless, one of spiritual attainment may so 
live that although he is in the midst of the fight of 
everyday life — yea, may be even a captain in the strug- 
gle — he really lives above it all — sees it for just what 
it is — sees it as but a childish game of child-like men 
and women, and although he plays the game well, he 
still knows it to be but a game, and not the real thing 
at all. This being the case, he begins by smiling 
through his tears, when he is knocked down in the 
rush of the game — then he ceases to weep at all, smiles 
taking the place of the tears, for, when things are seen 
in their true relation, one can scarcely repress a smile 
at himself, and at (or with) others. When one looks 
around and sees the petty playthings to which men are 
devoting their lives, believing that these playthings are 
real, he cannot but smile. And, when one awakens to 
a realization of the reality of things, his own particular 
part, which he is compelled to play, must evoke a smile 
from him. These are not mere dreams and impracti- 
cable ideas. If many of you had an idea of how many 
men, high in the puppet-play of worldly affairs, have 
really awakened to the truth, it would surprise you. 
Many of these men play their part well — -with energy 
and apparent ambition — for they realize that there 
is a purpose behind it all, and that they are necessary 
parts of the machinery of evolution. But deep within 
the recesses of their souls, they know it all for what it 
is. One on The Path must needs be brave, and must 
acquire a mastery over the emotional nature. This pre- 
cept does not merely refer to physical tears — for they 



6 ADVANCED COURSE. 

often spring to the eyes involuntarily, and though we 
may be smiling at the time. It refers to the feeling 
that there is anything for us to really cry over. It is 
the thought back of the tears, rather than the tears 
themselves. 

The lesson to be learned from these rules is that 
we should rise above the incidents of personality, and 
strive to realize our individuality. That we should de- 
sire to realize the I AM consciousness, which is above 
the annoyances of personality. That we should learn 
that these things cannot hurt the Real Self — that they 
will be washed from the sands of time, by the waters 
of eternity. 

Likewise our ear must lose its sensitiveness to the 
unpleasant incidents of personality, before it can hear 
the truth clearly, and free from the jarring noises of 
the outwlard strife. One must grow to be able to 
hear these things, and yet smile, secure in the knowl- 
edge of the soul and its powers, and its destiny. One 
must grow to be able to hear the unkind word— the 
unjust criticism — the spiteful remark — without letting 
them affect his real self. He must keep such things 
on the material plane to which they belong, and never 
allow his soul to descend to where it may be affected 
by them. One must learn to be able to hear the 
truths which are sacred to him, spoken of sneeringly 
and contemptuously by those who do not understand — 
they cannot be blamed, for they cannot understand. 
Let the babes prattle, and scold, and laugh — it does 
them good, and cannot hurt you or the Truth. Let the 
children play — it is their nature — some day they will 
(like you) have experienced the growing-pains of 
spiritual maturity, and will be going through just what 



SOME LIGHT ON THE PATH. 7 

you are now. You were once like them — they will be 
as you in time. Follow the old saying, and let such 
things "go in one ear, and out of the other" — do not 
let them reach your real consciousness. Then will the 
ear hear the things intended for it— it will afford a 
clear passage for the entrance of the Truth. 

Yea, "before the voice can speak in the presence of 
the Masters, it must have lost its power to wound." 
The voice that scolds, lies, abuses, complains, and 
wounds, can never reach the higher planes upon which 
dwell the advanced intelligences of the race. Before 
it can speak so as to be heard by those high in the 
order of life, and spiritual intelligence, it must have 
long since forgotten how to wound others by unkind 
words, petty spite, unworthy speech. The advanced 
man does not hesitate to speak the truth even when 
it is not pleasant, if it seems right to do so, but he 
speaks in the tone of a loving brother who does not 
criticize from the "I am holier than thou" position, 
but merely feels the other's pain — sees his mistake — 
and wishes to lend him a helping hand. Such a one 
has risen above the desire to "talk back" — to "cut" an- 
other by unkind and spiteful remarks — to "get even" 
by saying, in effect, "You're another." These things 
must be cast aside like a worn-out cloak — the advanced 
man needs them not. 

"Before the soul can stand in the presence of the 
Masters, its feet must be washed in the blood of the 
heart"— this is a "hard saying" to many entering The 
Path. Many are led astray from the real meaning of 
this precept by their understanding of the word 
"heart" — they think it means the love nature, j But 
this is not the meaning — occultism does not teach 



8 ADVANCED COURSE. 

killing out true love — -it teaches that love is one of the 
greatest privileges of man, and that as he advances 
his love nature grows until, finally, it includes all life. 
The "heart" referred to is the emotional nature, and 
the instincts of the lower and more animal mind. These 
things seem to be such a part of us, before we develop, 
that to get rid of them we seem to be literally tearing 
out our hearts. We part with first one thing and then 
another, of the old animal nature, with pain and suf- 
fering, and our spiritual feet become literally washed 
in the blood of the heart. Appetites — cravings of the 
lower nature — desires of the animal part of us— old 
habits — conventionalities — inherited thought — racial de- 
lusions — things in the blood and bone of our nature, 
must be thrown off, one by one, with much misgiv- 
ings and doubt at first — and with much pain and heart- 
bleeding until we reach a position from which we can 
see what it all means. Not only the desires of the 
lower self are to be torn out, but we must, of neces- 
sity, part with many things Which have always seemed 
dear and sacred to us, but which appear as but child- 
ish imaginings in the pure light which is beginning to 
be poured out from our Spiritual Mind. But even 
though we see these things for what they are, still it 
pains us to part from them, and we cry aloud, and 
our heart bleeds. Then we often come to a parting of 
the ways — a place where we are forced to part mental 
company with those who are dear to us, leaving them 
to travel their own road while we take step upon a 
new and (to us) an untried path of thought. All this 
means pain. And then the horror of mental and spir- 
itual loneliness which comes over one soon after he has 



SOME LIGHT ON THE PATH. 9 

taken the first few steps on The Path — that first initia- 
tion wlhich has tried the souls of many who read these 
words — that frightful feeling of being alone — with no 
one near who can understand and appreciate your 
feelings. And then, the sense of seeing the great 
problems of life, while others do not recognize the 
existence of any unsolved problem, and who accord- 
ingly go on their way, dancing-, fighting, quarreling, 
and showing all the signs of spiritual blindness, while 
you were compelled to stand alone and bear the awful 
sight. Then, indeed, does the blood of your heart gush 
forth. And then, the consciousness of the world's pain 
and your failure to understand its meaning — your feel- 
ing of impotence when you tried to find a remedy for 
it. All this causes your heart to bleed. And all these 
things come from your spiritual awakening — the man 
of the material plane has felt none of these things — 
has seen them not. Then when the feet of the soul 
have been bathed in the blood of the heart, the eye be- 
gins to see the spiritual truths — the ear begins to hear 
them — the tongue begins to be able to speak them to 
others, and to converse with those who have ad- 
vanced along The Path. And the soul is able to stand 
erect and gaze into the face of other advanced souls, 
for it has begun to understand the mysteries of life — 
the meaning of it all — has been able to grasp some- 
thing of the Great Plan — has been able to feel the 
consciousness of its own existence — has been able to 
say: "I AM" with meaning — has found itself — has 
conquered pain by rising above it. Take these 
thoughts with you into the Silence, and let the truth 



io ADVANCED COURSE. 

sink into your mind, that it may take root, grow, blos- 
som, and bear fruit. 

"1. Kill out ambition. 

"2. Kill out desire of life. 

"3. Kill out desire of comfort. 

"4. Work as those work who are ambitious. Bespeet life 
as those who desire it. Be happy as those are who live for 
happiness. ' ' 

Much of the occult truth is written in the form of 
paradox — showing both sides of the shield. This is in 
accordance with nature's plan. All statements of 
truth are but partial statements — there are two good 
sides to every argument — any bit of truth is but a half- 
truth, hunt diligently enough and you will find the 
opposite half — everything "is and it isn't" — any full 
statement of truth must of necessity be paradoxical. 
This because our finite point-of-view enables us to see 
but one side of a subject at a time. From the point of 
view of the infinite, all sides are seen at the same time 
— -all points of a globe being visible to the infinite seer, 
who is also able to see through the globe as well as 
around it. 

The above mentioned four precepts are illustrations 
of this law of paradox. They are generally dismissed 
as non-understandable by the average person who reads 
them. And yet they are quite reasonable and abso- 
lutely true. Let us consider them. 

The key to the understanding of these (and all) 
truths, lies in the ability to distinguish between the 
"relative" or lower, point of view, and the "absolute" 
or higher, one. Remember this well, for it will help 
you to see into many a dark corner — to make easy 
many a hard saying. Let us apply the test to these 
four precepts. 



SOME LIGHT ON THE PATH. II 

We are told to : "Kill out ambition." The average 
man recoils from this statement, and cries out that 
such a course would render man a spiritless and worth- 
less creature, for ambition seems to be at the bottom 
of all of man's accomplishments. Then, as he throws 
down the book, he sees, in the fourth precept : "Work 
as those who are ambitious" — and, unless he sees with 
the eyes of the Spiritual Mind, he becomes more con- 
fused than ever. But the two things are possible — yes, 
are absolutely feasible as well as proper. The "ambi- 
tion" alluded to is that emotion which urges a man 
to attain from vainglorious, selfish motives, and which 
impels him to crush all in his path, and to drive to the 
wall all with whom he comes in contact. Such ambi- 
tion is but the counterfeit of real ambition, and is as 
abnormal as is the morbid appetites which counterfeit 
and assume the guise of hunger and thirst — the ridic- 
ulous customs of decorating the persons with barbar- 
ous ornamentations, which counterfeits the natural in- 
stinct of putting on some slight covering as protection 
from the weather — the absurd custom of burdening 
oneself and others with the maintenance of palatial 
mansions, which counterfeits man's natural desire for 
a home-spot and shelter — the licentious and erotic prac- 
tices of many men and women, which are but coun- 
terfeits of the natural sexual instincts of normal man 
and woman, the object of which is, primarily, the pre- 
servation of the race. The "ambitious" man becomes 
insane for success, because the instinct has become per- 
verted and abnormal. He imagines that the things for 
which he is striving will bring him happiness, but he 
is disappointed— they turn to ashes like Dead Sea 



12 



ADVANCED COURSE. 



f ru it — because they are not the source of permanent 
happiness. He ties himself to the things he creates, 
and becomes their slave rather than their master. He 
regards money not as a means of securing necessities 
and nourishment (mental and physical) for himself 
and others, but as a thing valuable of itself — he has 
the spirit of the miser. Or, he may seek power for sel- 
fish reasons — to gratify his vanity — to show the world 
that he is mightier than his fellow men — to stand above 
the crowd. All poor, petty, childish ambitions, un- 
worthy of a real Man, and which must be outgrown 
before the man may progress — but perhaps the very 
lessons he is receiving are just the ones needed for his 
awakening. In short, the man of the abnormal ambi- 
tion works for things for the sake of selfish rezvard, 
and is inevitably disappointed, for he is pinning his 
hopes on things which fail him in the hour of need — 
is leaning on a broken reed. 

Now let us look upon the other side of the shield. 
The fourth precept contains these words : "Work as 
those work who are ambitious." There it is. One 
who works this way may appear to the world as the 
typical ambitious man, but the resemblance is merely 
outward. The "ambitious" man is the abnormal thing. 
The Man who works for work's sake — in obedience to 
the desire to work — the. craving to create — because he 
gives full expression to the creative part of his nature 
— is the real thing. And the latter is able to do better 
work — more lasting work — than the first mentioned 
man. And, then, besides, he gains happiness from his 
work — -he feels the joy which comes from doing — he 
lets the creative impulse of the All Life flow through 



SOME LIGHT ON THE PATH. 13 

him, and he does great things — he accomplishes, and 
is happy in his work and through his work. And so 
long as he keeps true to his ideals he will be safe and 
secure in that joy, and will be doing well his share 
in the world's work. But, as he mounts the ladder of 
Success, he is subjected to terrible temptations, and 
often allows the abnormal ambition to take possession 
of him, the result being that in his next incarnation he 
will have to learn his lesson all over again, and again 
until he has mastered it. 

Every man has his work in the world to do, and he 
should do it the best he knows how — should do it 
cheerfully — should do it intelligently. And he should 
let have full expression that instinct which impels him 
to do things right — better than they have been done 
before (not that he may triumph over others, but be- 
cause the world needs things done better). 

True occultism does not teach that man should sit 
around doing nothing but meditating, with his gaze 
fastened upon his umbilicus, as is the custom with 
some of the ignorant Hindu fakirs and devotees, who 
ape the terms and language of the Yogi teachers, and 
prostitute their teachings. On the contrary, it teaches 
that it is man's duty and glorious privilege to partici- 
pate in the world's work, and that he who is able to 
do something a little better than it has ever been done 
before is blessed, and a benefactor to the race. It rec- 
ognizes the Divine urge to create, which is found in all 
men and women, and believes in giving it the fullest 
expression. It teaches that no life is fully rounded out 
and complete, unless some useful work is a part of it. 
It believes that intelligent work helps toward spiritual 



i 4 ADVANCED COURSE. 

unfold -nd is in fact necessary to it. It does not 

teach ... oeauty of unintelligent drudgery — for there 
is r^ beauty in such work — hut it teaches that in 
the humblest task may be found interest to the one 
who looks for it, and that such a one always finds a 
better way of doing the thing, and thus adds some- 
thing to the world's store of knowledge. It teaches the 
real ambition — that love of work for work's sake — 
rather than that work which is performed for the 
world's counterfeit reward. Therefore when the pre- 
cept says: "Kill out Ambition * * * Work as 
those work who are ambitious," you will understand 
it. This life is possible to those who understand 
"Karma Yoga," one of the great branches of the Yogi 
Philosophy, upon which it may be our privilege to 
write at some future time. Read over these words, un- 
til you fully grasp their meaning — until you feel them 
as well as see them. The gist of these teachings upon 
the subject of Ambition, may be summed up by say- 
ing: Kill out the relative Ambition, which causes you 
to tie yourself to the objects and rewards of your 
work, and which yields nothing but disappointment and 
repressed growth — but develop and express fully the 
absolute Ambition, which causes you to work for work's 
sake — for the joy which comes to the worker — from the 
desire to express the Divine instinct to create — and 
which causes you to do the thing you have to do, the 
best you know how — better than it has ever been done, 
if possible — and which enables you to work in har- 
mony and unison with the Divine work which is con- 
stantly going on, instead of in harmony and discord. 
Let the Divine energy work through you, and express 



SOME LIGHT ON THE PATH. 15 

itself fully in your work. Open yourself to it, and you 
will taste of the joy which comes from \%rprk of this 
kind — this is the true ambition — the other \i but a 
miserable counterfeit which retards the growth of the 
soul. 

"Kill out desire of life," says the second precept — 
but the fourth precept answers back : "Respect life as 
those who desire it." This is another truth expressed in 
paradox. One must eradicate from the mind the idea 
that physical life is everything. Such an idea prevents 
one from recognizing the fuller life of the soul, and 
makes this particular life in the body the whole thing, 
instead of merely a grain of sand on the shores of the 
everlasting sea. One must grow to feel that he will 
always be alive, whether he is in the body or out of it, 
and that this particular physical "life" is merely a 
thing to be used by the Real Self, which cannot die. 
Therefore kill out that desire of life which causes you 
to fear death, and which makes you attach undue im- 
portance to the mere bodily existence, to the impair- 
ment O'f the broader life and consciousness. Pluck 
from your mind that idea that when the body dies, you 
die — for you live on, as much alive as you are this mo- 
ment, possibly still more alive. See physical life for 
what it is, and be not deceived. Cease to look upon 
"death" with horror, whether it may come to you or 
to some loved one. Death is just as natural as life (in 
this stage of development) and as much to be happy 
about. It is hard to get rid of the old horror of physi- 
cal dissolution, and one has many hard battles before 
he is able to cast off the worn-out delusion, which has 
clung to the race in spite of its constantly sounded be- 



16 ADVANCED COURSE. 

lief in a future life. The churches teach of "the life 
beyond" to which all the faithful should look forward 
to, but the same "faithful" shiver and shudder at the 
thought of death, and clothe themselves in black when 
a friend dies, instead of strewing flowers around and 
rejoicing that the friend is "in a better land" (to 
use the cant phrase, which is so glibly used on such 
occasions, but which com forte th not). One must grow 
into a positive "feeling" or consciousness, of life ever- 
lasting, before he is able to cast off this old fear, and 
no creed, or expressed belief, will serve the purpose, 
until this state of consciousness is reached. To the 
one who "feels" in his consciousness this fact of the 
survival of individuality, and the continuance of life 
beyond the grave, death loses its terror, and the grave 
its horror, and the "desire of life" (relative) is indeed 
killed out, because the knowledge of life (absolute) 
has taken its place. 

But we must not forget the reverse side of the 
shield. Read again the fourth precept: "Respect life 
as those who desire it." This does not mean alone the 
life of others, but has reference to your own physical 
life as well. For in your letting-go of the old idea 
of the relative importance of the life in the body, you 
must avoid going to the other extreme of neglect of 
the physical body. The body is yours in pursuance of 
the Divine plan, and is in fact the Temple of the 
Spirit. If it were not good for you to have a body, 
rest assured you would not have it. It is needed by 
you in this stage of development, and you would be 
unable to do your work of spiritual unfoldment with- 
out it. Therefore, do not be led into the folly of despis- 



SOME LIGHT ON THE PATH. 17 

ing the body, or physical life, as a thing unworthy of 
you. They are most worthy of you, at this stage, and 
you may make great things possible through them. To 
despise them is like refusing to use the ladder which 
will enable you to reach the heights. You should, in- 
deed, "respect life as those who desire it," and you 
should respect the body as do those who think that the 
body is the self. The body should be recognized as 
the instrument of the soul and Spirit, and should be 
kept as clean, healthy and strong as may be. And 
every means should be used to prolong the "life" in 
the body which has been given you. It should be re- 
spected and well-used. Do not sit and pine over your 
confinement in this life — you will never have another 
chance to live out just the experiences you are getting 
now — make the best of it. Your "life" is a glorious 
thing, and you should live always in the "Now" stage, 
extracting to the full the joy which should come with 
each moment of life to the advanced man. "Life, life, 
more life" has cried out some writer, and he was right. 
Live out each moment of your life, in a normal, healthy, 
clean way, always knowing it for what it is, and worry- 
ing not about the past or future. You are in eternity 
now as much as you ever will be — so why not make 
the most of it. It is always "Now" in life — and the 
supply of "Nows" never fails. 

If you ask us for a summing-up of this idea of this 
non-desiring of life, and its opposite side of respect- 
ing it as if you really did desire it, we will say : The 
desire referred to is the relative desire, which springs 
from the mistaken idea that physical life is the only 
life. The absolute desire of life, arises from the knowl- 



18 ADVANCED COURSE. 

edge of what the whole life of man is, and what this 
brief physical life is — therefore while the advanced 
man does not desire it in the old way, he does not de- 
spise it, and really desires it because it forms a part 
of his whole life, and he does not wish to miss, or part 
with, any part of that which the Divine Plan has de- 
creed shall be his. The advanced man neither fears 
death, nor seeks it — he fears neither death nor life — ■ 
he desires neither (relatively) and yet he desires both, 
from the absolute sense. Such a man or woman is in- 
vincible — neither life nor death have any terrors for 
such a one. When this consciousness is once reached, 
the person is filled with such power that its radiance 
is felt by the world in which he moves. Remember 
these words: Fear neither death, nor life. Neither 
fear death, nor seek it. When you have attained this 
stage, then indeed will you know what life is — what 
death is — for both are manifestations of LIFE. 

The third precept, tells us to ''Kill out desire of 
comfort" — but the fourth adds: "Be happy as those 
are who live for happiness." This teaching is also 
paradoxical, and follows the same line as the ones 
just spoken of. Its apparent contradiction arises from 
the two view-points, i. e. the relative and the abso- 
lute. Apply this solvent to all apparently contradic- 
tory occult teaching, and you will be able to separate 
each part so that you may carefully examine it. Let 
us apply it to this case. 

"Kill out desire of comfort." At first this would 
seem to advocate extreme asceticism, but this is not 
the real meaning. Much that is called asceticism 
is really a running aw)ay from things which we may 



SOME LIGHT ON THE PATH. 19 

think are too pleasant. There seems to be an idea in 
the minds of many people of all shades of religious be- 
lief, that because a thing produces pleasure it must 
necessarily be "bad." Some writer has made one of 
his characters say : "It is so sad— it seems as if all the 
pleasant things in life are wicked." There seems to be 
a current belief that God takes pleasure in seeing peo- 
ple unhappy and doing unpleasant things, and accord- 
ingly many so-called "religious" people have frowned 
upon the normal pleasures of life, and have acted as 
if a smile was offensive to Deity. This is all a mis- 
take. All normal pleasures are given to Man to use- 
but none of them must be allowed to use Man. Man 
must always be the master, and not the slave, in his 
relation to the pleasures of life. In certain forms of 
occult training the student is instructed in the cultiva- 
tion of the Will, and some of the exercises prescribed 
for him consist of the doing of disagreeable and un- 
pleasant things. But this discipline is merely to 
strengthen the Will of the student, and not because 
there is any special merit in the disagreeable task, or 
any special virtue in the self-denial attendant upon the 
doing without certain pleasant accustomed things. 
The whole idea consists in the exercising of the Will 
to resist ; do without ; and to do things ; contrary to the 
usual custom and habits of the individual, which course, 
if practiced, will invariably result in a strengthening 
of the Will. It operates upon the principle of exercis- 
ing a muscle by calling it into play. These exercises 
and practices are good, and we may have occasion 
to refer to them in some of our lessons. The fast- 
days and penance prescribed by the Catholic church 



20 ADVANCED COURSE. 

have merit in the manner above indicated, outside of 
any particular religious significance. 

But, to get back to our subject, this precept is 
not intended to preach asceticism. Occultism does not 
insist upon that. It does teach, however, that one 
should not allow himself to be tied to the pleasures 
and comforts of life to such an extent that he will 
cease to advance and develop his higher nature. Man 
may be ruined by too much luxury, and many cases 
are known where the higher influences at work under 
the Law took away from a man those things which 
hindered his growth, and placed him in a position in 
which he was forced to live normally, and thereby 
grow and unfold. Occultism preaches the "Simple 
Life." It teaches that when a man has too many things 
he is apt to let the things own him, instead of his 
owning the things. He becomes a slave rather than a 
master. "Kill out desire of comfort" does not mean 
that one should sleep on rough boards, as a special 
virtue pleasing to Deity, or that one should eat dry 
crusts in the hopes of obtaining Divine favor — neither 
of these things will have any such effect — Deity may 
not be bribed and is not specially pleased at the spec- 
tacle of one of his children making a fool of himself. 
But the precept does impress upon us that we should 
not be tied to any ideas of comfort, and that we should 
not imagine that true happiness can- arise from any 
such cause. Enjoy the normal and rational pleasures of 
life, but always retain your mastery over them, and 
never allow them to run away with you. And, al- 
ways remember that true happiness comes from within, 
and that these luxuries and "comforts" are not neces- 



SOME LIGHT ON THE PATH. 21 

sities of the real man, and are merely things to be 
used for what they are worth. These creature com- 
forts and luxuries are merely incidents of the physical 
plane, and do not touch the Real Self. The advanced 
man uses all these things, as instruments, tools (or 
even toys if it is found necessary to join in the game- 
life of others), but he always knows them for what 
they are and is never deceived. The idea that they 
are necessary for his happiness would seem absurd 
to him. And, as a man advances spiritually, his tastes 
are apt to become simpler. He may like well-made 
things of good quality, best suited for their purpose, 
but he does not want so many of them, and ostentation 
and display become very foreign to his tastes and in- 
clinations. He does not necessarily have to "kill out" 
the last mentioned tastes — they are very apt to leave 
him of themselves, finding his mental quarters not 
suited to their accommodation. 

Remember, also, that the fourth precept instructs 
you to "Be happy as those are who live for happiness." 
This does away with the long-face and dreary atmos- 
phere idea. It says "be happy" (not "make believe 
you are happy") as happy as those who live for the 
so-called happiness coming from the things of the 
physical plane. That is the sane teaching. Be happy — - 
so live that you may obtain a healthy, normal happiness 
out of every hour of your life. The occultist is not a 
miserable, sour-visaged, gloomy man, common beliefs 
to the contrary notwithstanding. His life and under- 
standing lifts him above the worries and fears of the 
race, and his knowledge of his destiny is most inspiring. 
He is able to rise abovd the storm,- and 5 riding safely 



22 ADVANCED COURSE. 

on the crest of the wave — -yielding to every motion of 
the swell — he escapes being submerged. When things 
become too unpleasant to be borne on the relative 
plane, he simply rises into the higher regions of his 
mind where all is serene and calm, and he gains a 
peace that will abide with him when he again sinks 
to meet the trials and burdens of the day. The occultist 
is the happiest of men, for he has ceased to fear — he 
knows that there is nothing to be afraid of. And he 
has outgrown many of the superstitions of the race, 
which keep many people in torment. He has left Hate 
and Malice behind him, and has allowed Love to take 
their vacant places, and he must, necessarily, be hap- 
pier by reason of the change. He has outgrown the 
idea of an angry Deity laying traps in which to enmesh 
him — he has long since learned to smile at the childish 
tale of the devil with cloven hoofs and horns, breath- 
ing fire and brimstone, and keeping a bottomless pit 
into which one will be plunged if he should happen to 
forget to say his prayers, or if he should happen to 
smile at God's beautiful earth, some fine Sunday, in- 
stead of drowsing away an hour listening to some long- 
drawn-out theological sermon. He has learned that he 
is a Child of God, destined for great things, and that 
Deity is as a loving Father (yes, and Mother) rather 
than as a cruel taskmaster. He realizes that he has 
arrived at the age of maturity, and that his destiny 
rests to some extent upon himself. The occultist is 
necessarily an optimist — he sees that all things are 
working together for good — that life is on the path of 
attainment — and that Love is over, above, and in all. 
These things the occultist learns as he progresses— 



SOME LIGHT ON THE PATH. 23 

and he is Happy. Happier than "those who live for 
happiness." 

"Seek in the heart the source of evil, and expunge it. It 
lives fruitfully in the heart of the devoted disciple, as well 
as in the heart of the man of desire. Only the strong can 
kill it out. The weak must wait for its growth, its fruition, 
its death. And it is a plant that lives and increases through- 
out the ages. It flowers when the man has accumulated unto 
himself innumerable existences. He who will enter upon the 
path of power must tear this thing out of his heart. And 
then the heart will bleed, and the whole life of the man 
seem to be utterlv dissolved. This ordeal must be endured; 
it may come at the first step of the perilous ladder which 
leads to the path of life; it may not come until the last. 
But O disciple, remember that it has to be endured, _ and 
fasten the energies of your soul upon the task. Live neither 
in the present nor the future, but in the eternal. This 
giant weed cannot flower there; this blot upon existence is 
wiped out by the very atmosphere of eternal thought. 

The above admonition is a summing up of the first 
three precepts, as explained by the fourth one. It 
bids the student seek out in his heart the relative idea 
of life and cast it from him. This relative idea of 
life carries with it the selfish part of our nature— 
that part of us which causes us to regard ourselves as 
better than our brother— as separate from our fellow- 
beings — as having no connection with all of life. It 
is the idea of the lower part of our mind— our merely 
refined animalism. Those who have carefully studied 
our former course will understand that this part of 
our mind is the brute side of us— the side of us which 
is the seat of the appetites, passions, desires of a low 
order, and emotions of the lower plane. These things 
are not evil of themselves, but they belong to the lower 
stages of life— the animal stage— the stage from which 
we have passed (or are now passing) to the stage of 
the Man existence. But these tendencies were long 



24 ADVANCED COURSE. 

ages in forming, and are deeply imbedded in our nature, 
and it requires the most heroic efforts to dislodge 
them — and the only way to dislodge them is to replace 
them by higher mental states. Right here, let us call 
your attention to a well established principle of occult 
training, and yet one that is seldom mentioned in teach- 
ings on the subject. We refer to the fact that a bad 
habit of thought or action is more easily eradicated by 
supplanting it with a good habit — one that is directly 
opposed to the habit of which one desires to get rid. 
To tear out a bad habit by the roots, requires almost 
superhuman strength of will, but to crowd it out by 
nursing a good habit in its place, is far more easier 
and seems to be nature's plan. The good habit will 
gradually crowd the bad one until it cannot exist, and 
then after a final struggle for life, it will expire. This 
is the easiest way to "kill out" undesirable habits and 
traits. 

Returning to the subject of the relative qualities of 
the mind, we would say that selfishness ; all the animal 
desires, including sexual desires on the physical plane 
(there is much more in sex than physical plane mani- 
festations) ; all passions, such as hatred, envy, malice, 
jealousy, desire for revenge, self-glorification, and self- 
exaltation; are also a part of it. Low pride is one 
of its most subtle and dangerous manifestations, and 
one which returns again, and again, after we think we 
have cast it off — each return being in a more subtle 
form — physical pride, being succeeded by the pride 
of the intellect — pride in psychic attainments — pride in 
spiritual development and growth — pride in moral 
worth, chastity and character — the "I am holier than 



SOME LIGHT ON THE PATH. 25 

thou" pride— and so on. Again and again does pride, 
the tempter, come to bother us. Its existence is based 
upon the delusion of separateness, which leads us to 
imagine that we have no connection with other mani- 
festations of life, and which causes us to feel a spirit 
of antagonism and unworthy rivalry toward our fel- 
low beings, instead of recognizing the fact that we 
are all parts of the One Life — some far back struggling 
in the mire of the lower stages of the road — others 
traveling along the same stage of the journey as our- 
selves — others still further advanced — but all on the 
way — all being bits of the same great Life. Beware 
of Pride — this most subtle enemy of advancement — 
and supplant it with the thought that we are all of 
the same origin — having the same destiny before us — 
having the same road to travel — brothers and sisters 
all — all children of God — all little scholars in Life's 
great Kindergarten. Let us also realize that while each 
must stand alone before he is able to pass the test of 
initiation — yet are we all interdependent, and the pain 
of one is the pain of all — the sin of one is the sin of 
all — that we are all parts of a race working toward 
race improvement and growth — and that love and the 
feeling of brotherhood is the only sane view of the 
question. 

The brute instincts are still with us, constantly forc- 
ing themselves into our field of thought. Occultists 
learn to curb and control these lower instincts, subor- 
dinating them to the .higher mental ideals which unfold 
into the field of consciousness. Do not be discouraged 
if you still find that you have much of the animal 
within your nature— we all have— the only difference 
is that some of us have learned to control the brute, 



26 ADVANCED COURSE. 

and to keep him in leash and subordinate and obedient 
to the higher parts of our nature, while others allow 
the beast to rule them, and they shiver and turn pale 
when he shows his teeth, not seeming to realize that 
a firm demeanor and a calm mind will cause the beast 
to retreat to his corner and allow himself to be kept 
behind bars. If you find constant manifestations of 
the beast within you, struggling to be free and to as- 
sert his old power, do not be disturbed. This is no 
sign of weakness, but is really an indication that your 
spiritual growth has begun. For whereas you now 
recognize the brute, and feel ashamed, you formerly 
did not realize his presence — were not aware of his 
existence, for you were the brute himself. It is only 
because you are trying to divorce yourself from him, 
that you feel ashamed of his presence. You cannot 
see him until you begin to be "different" from him. 
Learn to be a tamer of wild beasts, for you have a 
whole menagerie within you. The lion ; the tiger ; the 
hyena ; the ape ; the pig ; the peacock, and all the rest 
are there, constantly showing forth some of their char- 
acteristics. Do not fear them — smile at them when 
they show themselves — for you are stronger than they, 
and can bring them to subjection — and their appear- 
ance is useful to you in the way of instructing you as 
to their existence. They are an amusing lot, when 
you have reached the stage where you are able to prac- 
tically stand aside and see them perform their tricks, 
and go through their antics. You then feel strongly 
that they are not YOU, but something apart from you 
— something from which you are becoming rapidly di- 
vorced. Do not worry about the beasts — for you are 
the master. 



SOME LIGHT ON THE PATH. 27 

While the above quotation from "Light on the Path" 
includes all of the foregoing manifestations of the lowei; 
nature, it seems to dwell especially upon that delusion 
of the lower self — that dream of separateness — -that 
exhibition of what has been called "the working fic- 
tion of the universe," which causes us to imagine our- 
selves things apart from the rest — something better, 
holier, and superior to the rest of our kind. This man- 
ifests in the emotion of Pride — the peacock part of our 
mental menagerie. As we have said, this is one of the 
most dangerous of our lower qualities, because it is 
so subtle and persistent. You will note that the writer 
speaks of it as living "fruitfully in the heart of the 
devoted disciple, as well as in the heart of the man 
of desire." This may seem strange to you, but it is 
the experience of every advanced occultist that, long 
after he had thought he had left Pride behind him, 
he would be startled at it appearing in a new phase — 
the pride of psychic power — the pride of intellect — 
the pride of spiritual growth. And then he would 
have all his work to do over again. Let us state right 
here that there is a kind of pride which is not a man- 
ifestation of the lower self — it may be called the 
absolute form of pride, if you will. We allude to that 
pride in things as a whole — a pride that the whole is 
so great and grand and wonderful, and that we are 
parts of that whole — that the intellect we manifest is 
part of that universal mind — that the spiritual growth 
we have attained is a bit of the great possibilities of 
the race, and that much more is ahead for all the race. 
But the danger line is reached when we begin to shut 
out some others from that universal pride — the mo- 



28 ADVANCED COURSE. 

ment that we leave out one other manifestation of life 
(no matter how lowly) from our universal pride, then 
we make it a selfish pride. The moment we erect a 
fence with anyone on the outside, then are we indulg- 
ing in selfish pride. For there is no outside, at the 
last. We are all inside — there is no place outside of 
the All. When you feel a pride with all living things 
— with all of life — with all of being — then you are not 
selfish. But the moment you place yourself apart in 
a class — whether that class be composed of but your- 
self, or of yourself and all of mankind, except one 
individual — then you are yielding to a subtle form of 
selfishness. The last man must not be left out — cannot 
be left out. You are possessed of no quality or attain- 
ment that is not the property of the race — something 
that may be attained by all in time. All that you think 
is superiority is merely a little more age — a little more 
experience on this plane of existence. Your pride is 
the foolish infantile pride of the child who has just 
passed out of "the baby class" in the primary school, and 
looks condescendingly upon the new flock of little ones 
who are just entering the class from which he has just 
passed. To the eyes of those in higher classes, the 
second grade scholar is a subject for a kindly, pitying 
smile — -but the little fellow does not know that — he 
feels "big," and gives the peacock quality full sway. 
Now, before we leave this illustration, let us say that 
the little fellow is justified in feeling proud of having 
accomplished his advancement — it is a worthy feeling 
— the peacock part comes in only when he looks down 
upon those below him. This is the substance of the 
folly of Pride— this feeling of superiority toward those 



SOME LIGHT ON THE PATH. 29 

still in the lower grade. A feeling of joy from work 
attained — heights scaled— is not unworthy. But let us 
beware of the attendant feeling of superiority toward 
those who are still climbing—there lies the sting of 
Pride. Extract the sting, and your wasp is harmless. 
-"If you feel tempted toward self-glorification, some- 
times, just remember that as compared to some of the 
intelligences, who have long since passed through your 
present stage of development, you are no more than 
is the intelligence of a black beetle as compared with 
your own intellect — that, to the eyes of some of the 
greatly developed souls, the everyday life of even the 
highest of our race on earth to-day is but as are to 
us the antics and gambols ; fights and tumbles ; of a 
lot of Newfoundland puppies whose eyes have been 
opened but a few days — just remember this, we say, 
and you will get a better idea of just what place you 
fill in the scale of intelligence. But this does not mean 
self-debasement, either. Not at all. As low compara- 
tively, as we may be, we are still well on the way of 
advancement, and great things are before us — we can- 
not be robbed of a single bit of life — we cannot be de- 
nied our heritage — we are going on, and on, and on, 
to greater and still greater heights. But, impress this 
upon your soul — not only are you going there, but all 
of mankind besides — yes, even that last man. Do not 
forget this. On the plane of the eternal, there cannot be 
such a thing as selfish pride — understanding has forever 
wiped it out — "this giant weed cannot flower there; 
this blot upon existence is wiped out by the very at- 
mosphere of eternal thought." 

We must carry oyer- to the next lesson the remainder of our com- 
meats on the aboye quotation. 



LESSON II. 

More Light on the Path. 

Before passing to the consideration of the next 
precept, we must again call your attention to the quota- 
tion from "Light on the Path" which we had before 
us at the close of the last lesson, but which we were 
compelled to carry over to this lesson, because of lack 
of space. In the quotation referred to appears the sen- 
tence : "Live neither in the present nor the future, 
but in the eternal.'' This sentence has perplexed many 
students, in view of the fact that the teachings have 
impressed upon them the importance of living in the 
Now, and of looking forward to the future as the field 
for further development. And this sentence seems to 
run contrary to the previous teachings. But it is all 
a matter of absolute and relative point of view, again. 
Let us see if we can make it plain to you. 

To live in the present, regarding it as something 
different from the future — or to live (in imagination) 
in the future, in the sense that it is considered as a 
separate thing from the present — is an error, spring- 
ing from the relative view of life. It is the old mis- 
take which causes us to separate time from eternity. 
The absolute view of the matter shows us that time 
and eternity are one — that we are in eternity right 
now;, as much as we ever shall be. It does away with 
the error that a broad line is drawn between this time 

31 



Z2 ADVANCED COURSE. 

of mortal life and the ''eternity" into which we enter 
after we have passed out of the body — it shows us that 
here — right here in the flesh — we are in eternity. It 
reveals to us that this life is but an infinitesimal part 
of the great life — that it is merely sunrise in the great 
day of consciousness — and that to live as if this petty 
period of life were all is the veriest folly of ignorant 
mankind. But right here, do not fall into the error of 
going to the other extreme and ignoring and despising 
the present life in your desire to "live in the future" 
■ — remember the paradox that is to be found in all 
statements of the truth — the reverse side of the shield. 
To despise the present life is as ridiculous as to live 
as if it were all the life there is. To follow this course 
is to commit the folly of "living in the future," against 
which the little manual cautions us. This life (small 
and insignificant though it may be as compared to the 
great life) is most important to us — it is a stage in 
our development that is needed by us, and we must not 
shirk it or despise it. We are just where we are, be- 
cause it is the very best place for us at this stage of 
our development, and we cannot afford to spend this 
life in merely dreaming of the future, for we have 
tasks to perform — lessons to learn — and we will never 
be able to advance until we master our present grade 
duties. This present life is not all — but it is part of all 
— remember this. 

These difficulties of the distinction between the pres- 
ent and future vanish when we regard them from the 
absolute view-point. The moment that we become fully 
conscious that the eternal is the only real thing — and 
that Now is all of eternity that we are able to grasp 
with our consciousness — that it is always Now with 



MORE LIGHT ON THE PATH. 33 

us, and always will be Now— when we realize this, 
then do the relative terms "present" and "future" lose 
their former meanings to us, and time and eternity; 
yesterday, today, tomorrow ; and forever and forever ; 
are seen to be but slightly different manifestations of 
the great eternal Now, in which we live at each mo- 
ment of our existence. This living in the eternal 
makes us enjoy every moment of our present life- 
allows us to look forward to the future without fear- 
causes us to feel the consciousness of what real life 
is— helps us to realize the I Am consciousness— allows 
us to perceive things in their right relations— in short, 
gives to life a reality that it otherwise lacks, and 
causes the old relative views to drop from us like the 
withered leaves from the rose. As the writer of 
"Light on the Path" so beautifully says : "This giant 
weed cannot flourish there ; this blot upon existence is 
wiped out by the very atmosphere of eternal thought." 

5. Kill out all sense of separateness. 

6. Kill out desire for sensation. 

7. Kill out the hunger for growth. 

8. Yet stand alone and isolated, because nothing that is 
embodied, nothing that is conscious of separation, nothing that 
is out of the eternal can aid you. Learn from sensation, and 
observe it; because only so can you commence the science of 
self-knowledge, and plant your foot on the first step of the 
ladder. Grow as the flower grows, unconsciously, but eagerly 
anxious to open its soul to the air. So must you press for- 
ward to open your soul to the eternal. But it must be the 
eternal that draws forth your strength and beauty, not desire 
of growth. For, in the one ease, you develop in the luxuriance 
of purity ; in the other, you harden by the forcible passion for 
personal stature. 

Here again are we confronted with a set of para- 
doxical precepts, the first three of which tell us to kill 
out certain things, and the fourth of which then pro- 
ceeds to tell us (apparently) to do the very things 



34 ADVANCED COURSE. 

which we have just been advised not to do. This is 
another example of the Divine Paradox which under- 
lies all occult teachings — the two sides of the shield. 
Read what we have said on this subject, on page 10, 
Lesson I. What we have said there applies to nearly 
all of the precepts of "Light on the Path." 

In the fifth precept we are told to "Kill out all sense 
of separateness." The eighth precept gives us the 
reverse side of the shield : "Yet stand alone and iso- 
lated, because nothing that is embodied, nothing that 
is conscious of separation, nothing that is out of the 
eternal, can aid you." Here we have two vital truths 
imparted to us — and yet the two are but different sides 
of the same truth. Let us consider it. 

The sense of separateness that causes us to feel as 
if we were made of different material from our fellow 
men and women — that makes us feel self-righteous — 
that makes us thank God that we are different from, 
and better than, other men — is error, and arises from 
the relative point of view. The advanced occultist 
knows that we are all parts of the One Life — varying 
only as we have unfolded so as to allow the higher 
parts of our nature to manifest through us. The lowly 
brother is but as we were once, and he will some day 
occupy the same position that we now do. And both 
he and we will surely mount to still greater heights — 
and if he learns his lessons better than do we, he may 
outstrip us in development. And besides this, we are 
bound up with the lives of every other man and wo- 
man. We participate in the conditions which contribute 
to their sin and shame. We allow to exist in our civili- 
zation conditions and environments which contribute 
largely to crime and misery. Every mouthful we eat — 



MORE LIGHT ON THE PATH. 35 

every garment we wear — every dollar we earn — has 
had some connection with other people, and their lives 
and ours are intermingled — we touch all mankind at 
thousands of points. The law of cause and effect 
makes close companions of persons apparently as far 
apart as the poles. What we call sin is often the 
result of ignorance and misdirected energy — if we 
were in exactly the same position as those who do 
wrong — with the same temperament, training, environ- 
ment, and opportunity — would we do so very much 
better than they? All life is on the Path — we are all 
advancing slowly — often slipping back two feet for 
every three we advance, but still registering a net ad- 
vance of one foot. And all are really trying to do the 
best they can, although often the appearances are very 
much against them. None of us are so very good or 
perfect — then why should we be so ready to condemn. 
Let us lend a helping hand whenever we can, but let 
us not say, "I am holier than thou." Let us remember 
the precept of the great Master who warned us to cast 
the first stone only when we were free from sin our- 
selves. Let us avoid the sense of separateness in the 
relative sense, for it is a snare and a delusion, and the 
parent of nearly all error. 

But now for the other side of the shield. Let us 
learn to stand alone — we must learn this lesson in order 
to advance. Our life is our own — we must live it our- 
selves. No one else may live it for us — and we may 
live the life of no one else. Each must stand squarely 
upon his own feet. Each is accountable for his own 
acts. Each must reap that which he has sown. Each 
must suffer or enjoy according to his own acts. Man 
is responsible only to himself and the Eternal. Noth- 



36 ADVANCED COURSE, 

ing outside of the Eternal and himself can aid him. 
Each soul must work out its own destiny, and no other 
soul may do the work of another. Each soul contains 
within it the light of the Spirit, which will give it all 
the help it requires, and each soul must learn to look 
within for that help. The lesson of Courage and Self- 
Reliance must be learned by the growing soul. It 
must learn that while nothing from without can help 
it, it is equally true that nothing from without can 
harm it. The Ego is proof against all harm and hurt, 
once it realizes the fact. It is indestructible, and eter- 
nal. Water cannot drown it — fire cannot burn it — it 
cannot be destroyed — it IS and always will be. It 
should learn to be able to stand erect — upon its own 
feet. If it needs the assurance of the presence of an 
unfailing helper — one that is possessed of unlimited 
power and wisdom — let it look to the Eternal — all that 
it needs is there. 

The sixth precept tells us to "Kill out desire for 
sensation." And the eighth tells us to "Learn from 
sensation, and observe it, because only so can you com- 
mence the science of self-knowledge, and plant your 
foot upon the first step of the ladder." Another para- 
dox. Let us try to find the key. 

The warning in the sixth precept bids us to let drop 
the desire for sense gratification. The pleasures of the 
senses belong to the relative plane. We begin by enjoy- 
ing that which appeals to the grosser senses, and from 
that we gradually work up the enjoyment of that which 
comes through higher senses. We outgrow certain 
forms of sense gratification. We pass from sensuality 
to sensuousness, in its lower and higher degrees. There 
is a constant evolution in sense gratification in man 



MORE LIGHT ON THE PATH, 37 

The things we enjoyed yesterday, seem crude and 
gross to us to-day, and so it will always be, as we 
pass onward and upward in the scale of life. We 
must cease to be tied to the gratification of the senses — 
the soul has higher pleasures awaiting it. The pleas- 
ures of the senses are all right in their place — they 
have their offices to perform in the evolution of the 
soul — but the soul must beware of allowing itself to 
be tied to them, as its progress will be retarded if it 
does so — useless baggage must be cast aside as the soul 
mounts the upward path — light marching order is the 
proper thing. The ties which bind you to sense grati- 
fication must be boldly cut, that you may go on your 
way. Therefore "Kill out desire for sensation." Re- 
member, the precept does not say that you should kill 
out sensation — only the desire for sensation. Neither 
desire sensation, nor run away from it as an evil thing. 
Turn sensation to good account, by studying it, and 
learning its lessons, that you may see it for what it is 
really worth, and thus be able to drop it from you. 

As the eighth precept tells you : "Learn from sensa- 
tion, and observe it ; because only so can you commence 
the science of self-knowledge, and plant your foot upon 
the first step of the ladder." 

This does not mean that you should yield to sense- 
gratification in order to learn its lessons — the advanced 
soul should have passed beyond this stage. Sensations 
may be studied as if from the outside, and it is not 
necessary to indulge a sense in order to learn the les- 
son it has to teach you. The real meaning of this last 
precept is that when we find that we experience cer- 
tain sense feelings— sensations— we should weigh, 
measure, gauge and test them, instead of viewing them 



38 ADVANCED COURSE. 

with horror. These things are a part of us — they come 
from the Instinctive Mind, and are our heritage from 
our previous lowly states of existence. They are not 
bad in themselves, but are simply unworthy of us in 
our present stage of development. They are the shad- 
ows of our former selves — the reflection of things 
which were proper and natural in us in our more ani- 
mal states, but which we are now outgrowing. You 
may learn great lessons by noting the symptoms of 
these dying sense-manifestations, and thereby will be 
enabled to cast them away from you sooner than if 
you allow yourself to fear them as the manifestations 
of an evil entity outside of yourself — the temptings of 
a personal Devil. In time you will outgrow these 
things, their places being filled with something better 
and more worthy. But in the meantime, view them as 
you would the instinctive desire to perform some trick 
of childhood, which while once natural is now unnatu- 
ral and undesirable. Many grown persons have had 
much trouble in getting rid of the old baby trick of 
sucking the thumb, or twisting a lock of hair between 
the fingers, which while considered as quite "cute" in 
the baby days, nevertheless brought upon the growing 
child many reproaches and punishments, and in after 
years, often required the exercise of the will of the 
adult to cast it aside as an undesirable thing. Let us 
so view these symptoms of the baby-days of our soul- 
life, and let us get rid of them by understanding them, 
their nature, history, and meaning, instead of fearing 
them as the "work of the Devil." There is no Devil 
but Ignorance and Fear. 

The seventh precept tells us to "Kill out desire for 
growth," and yet the eighth advises us to grow — 



MORE LIGHT ON THE PATH. 39 

"Grow as the flower grows, unconsciously, but eagerly 
anxious to open its soul to the air. So must you press 
forward to open your soul to the eternal. But it must 
be the eternal that draws forth your strength and 
beauty, not desire of growth. For in the one case you 
develop in the luxuriance of purity ; in the other, you 
harden by the forcible passion for personal stature.'' 

The writer of the above words has made so plain the 
meaning of this two-fold statement of truth, that very 
little comment upon the same is needed, even for these 
just entering upon the Path. The distinction between 
the "desire for growth," and the unfoldment that 
comes to the advancing soul lies in the motive. "De- 
sire for growth," in the relative sense, means desire 
for growth for self-glorification— a subtle form of van- 
ity—and a refined form of selfish ambition. And this 
desire, as applied to spiritual, tends toward what occult- 
ists know as "black magic," which consists of a desire 
for spiritual power to use for selfish ends, or even for 
the mere sense of power that such development brings. 
The student of occultism cannot be warned too often 
against such desires and practices— it is the dark side 
of the picture, and those who pursue the descending 
path meet with a terrible punishment by reason of their 
own acts, and are often compelled to labor for ages be- 
fore they find their way back to the Path upon which 
the sun of the Spirit shines brightly. 

The natural growth of the soul— that growth which 
is compared to that of the flower— gradual and un- 
conscious, but yet eager in the sense of opening up 
one's soul to the beneficient rays of the great Central 
Sun of Life— the growth which consists in "letting" 
rather than forcing, is the growth to be desired. This 



4o ADVANCED COURSE. 

growth comes to us each day, if we but open ourselves 
to it. Let the soul unfold, and the Spirit will gradu- 
ally manifest itself to your consciousness. Many stud- 
ents torment themselves, and their teachers, by their 
eager questionings, "What shall I do?" The only an- 
swer is "stand aside from your labored efforts, and 
just let yourself grow." And you will grow in this 
way. Every day will add to your experience — every 
year will find you further along the path. You may 
think that you are making no progress — but just com- 
pare yourself to the self of a year ago, and you will 
notice the improvement. Go on, living your life, the 
best you know how — doing the work before you in 
the manner that seems best for you, day-by-day — wor- 
rying not about your future life — living in the great 
and glorious Now — and allowing the Spirit to work 
through you in confidence and faith and love. And. 
dear student, all will be well with you. You are 
on the right road — keep to the middle of it — enjoy the 
scenery as you pass along — enjoy the refreshing 
breezes — enjoy the night as well as the day — it is all 
good — and you are making progress without feeling 
the strain of the journey. The man who counts the 
mile-stones and worries about how much farther he 
has to go, and how slow he is moving, makes his jour- 
ney doubly tiresome, and loses all the beauty of the 
roadside. Instead of thinking about what he is seeing, 
he is thinking merely of miles, miles, miles, and many 
more miles ahead. Which is the course of wisdom? 
9. Desire only that which is within you. 

10. Desire only that which is beyond you. 

11. Desire only that which is unattainable. 

12. For within you is the light of the world, the only 
light that can be shed upon the Path. If you are unable to 



MORE LIGHT ON THE PATH. 41 

perceive it within you, it is useless to look for it elsewhere. 
It is beyond you; because, when you reach it, you have lost 
yourself. It is unattainable, because it forever recedes. You 
will enter the light, but you will never touch the flame. 

These four precepts form another of the many para- 
doxes contained in the wonderful little manual upon 
which we are commenting. To those who have not 
found its key, these four precepts seem strangely con- 
tradictory and "wild." To be told to desire a thing 
that is within you — and yet beyond you — and which 
is unattainable, seems ridiculous to the average man 
on the street. But, when one has the key, the teach- 
ings seem very plain and beautiful. The four pre- 
cepts refer to the unfoldment of Spiritual Conscious- 
ness — Illumination — which we attempted to faintly de- 
scribe in our first series of lessons (The Fourteen Les- 
sons). This is the first great attainment before us 
on the path. It means everything to the occultist at 
this stage of the journey, for it takes him from the 
plane of mere "belief" or intellectual acquiescence, on 
to the plane where he knows that he IS. It does not 
endow him permanently with universal knowledge, but 
it gives him that consciousness of real spiritual ex- 
istence, compared to which every other experience and 
knowledge sinks into nothing. It brings one face-to- 
face (perhaps only for a moment) with the Real Self, 
and the great Reality of which that Self is but a part. 
This state of consciousness is the great prize which 
is awaiting the efforts of the race to free itself, and 
it is a reward worth many lives of unfoldment to at- 
tain. 

"Desire only that which is within you" — for the 
Spirit is the only reality, and it is within each of us. 
As the text says : "For within you is the light of the 



42 ADVANCED COURSE, 

world, the only .light that can be shed upon the Path. 
If you are unable to perceive it within you, it is useless 
to look for it elsewhere." Why do not these anxious 
seekers after truth, take this advice and look within 
themselves for that which they seek, instead of run- 
ning hither and thither, after teachers, prophets, seers, 
and leaders — exhausting first one strange teaching, and 
then another. All this is useful — because it teaches us 
that that which we seek is not to be found in this way. 
An3 you will never find what you seek, in such ways. 
You may get a hint here, or a suggestion there — but 
the real thing is right within yourself waiting patiently 
for that hour when you will look within for it, confi- 
dently, hopefully, and lovingly. Oh, listen to the voice 
of the soul — look for the light of the Spirit. You 
have them both within you — why seek further for that 
which can never reach you from the outside. 

"Desire only that which is beyond you." "It is be- 
yond you ; because when you reach it, you have lost 
yourself." It is always just beyond you, and when 
you become one with it, the old relative self has faded 
away, and a greater, grander YOU has replaced it. 
Man must lose himself to find Himself. In this sense, 
the great thing to be desired is beyond the to-day 
"you," although it is within you — it is really Your- 
self, as you will be. Can we make this plainer? The 
child longs for manhood — it is beyond him, and yet 
the child is the embryo man, and the elements of man- 
hood are within him, awaiting the hour of develop- 
ment. But when that child attains manhood, the child 
is gone — he has lost himself, and a larger self has taken 
ifs place. So that the thing for which the child longs, 
really causes him to lose his (child) self in its attain- 



MORE LIGHT ON THE PATH. 43 

ment. The butterfly is within the caterpillar — but it 
is also beyond him — and when he gains it he is no 
longer a caterpillar but a butterfly. These are crude 
illustrations, but perhaps they may help you to under- 
stand the matter more clearly. 

"Desire only that which is unattainable." This 
sounds discouraging, but, when understood, it really 
gives renewed energy. The text goes on: "It is un- 
attainable, because it forever recedes. You may enter 
the light, but you will never touch the flame." As the 
soul gains in spiritual consciousness, it becomes greater 
and grander, but it is traveling but the first steps in 
the real journey— -but that journey is becoming more 
and more pleasant. As we climb the mountain side of 
Attainment, the view becomes grander at each step. 
But the mountain top, which seemed so near at the 
beginning of the journey, seems constantly to recede as 
one climbs. And yet there is no disappointment, for 
every step of the way is now accompanied with the 
keenest pleasure. It is ever so in soul-unfoldment. As 
step after step is taken, greater heights appear to the 
view, emerging from the clouds which have surrounded 
them. There are undreamt of heights. You may, and 
will, gain the highest point now visible to you (be your 
attainment ever so great at this moment) but when you 
get there you will find that there is as much before you 
as you have left behind — far more in fact. But all 
this does not disappoint you, when you once grasp its 
significance. As you enter the great light you become 
conscious of gradually nearing the great center of 
Light— but although you are fairly bathed in the glo- 
rious effulgence, you have not touched the flame — 
and never will, as Man. But what of that — why fret 



44 ADVANCED COURSE. 

because you cannot see the end — if end there be. You 
are destined to become something so much greater and 
grander than you are to-day, that your wildest imagin- 
ings cannot give you the faintest idea of it. And, 
still beyond that state, there are other states, and others, 
and others and others. Rejoice in the light, but sigh 
not because you are told that you will never touch the 
flame — you do not begin to realize what the bright- 
light is — the flame is beyond your comprehension. 

13. Desire power ardently. 

14. Desire peace fervently. 

15. Desire possession above all. 

16. But those possessions must belong to the pure soul only, 
and be possessed therefore by all pure souls equally, and thus 
be the especial property of the whole only when united. Hun- 
ger for such possessions as can be held by the pure soul, that 
you may accumulate wealth for that united spirit of life 
which is your only true self. The peace you shall desire is 
that sacred peace which nothing can disturb, and in which the 
soul grows as does the holy flower upon the still lagoons. 
And that power which the disciple shall covet is that which 
shall make him appear as nothing in the eyes of men. 

17. Seek out the way. 

18. Seek the way by retreating within. 

19. Seek the way advancing boldly without. 

Here is another example of the relative and the abso- 
lute. ''Desire power ardently." And yet power, sel- 
fish power, is the greatest curse of the man who pos- 
sess it. The power of the Spirit, which is "the power 
which the disciples shall covet," may indeed make him 
"appear as nothing in the eyes of men'' who are striv- 
ing after material power. For it is the conscious power 
of which the average man knows nothing — of which he 
is unable to form a mental image. And he is very apt 
to regard as a fool the man who possesses it, or who 
is reaching out for it. The power which is applied to 
unselfish uses is incomprehensible to the average man 



MORE' LIGHT ON THE PATH. 45 

who seeks for worldly power — and yet that worldly 
power, and all that it is capable of accomplishing, will 
crumble before the flame of time, as a sheet of tissue 
before the match, and will be in ashes in the twinkling 
of an eye, while the real power of spiritual attainment 
grows stronger and mightier as the ages roll by. The 
one is the substance — the other the shadow — and yet 
the world reverses their position because of its im- 
perfect vision. Do not make the mistake of translating 
this sixteenth precept as meaning that the student 
should seek to "appear as nothing in the eyes of men." 
This is not the meaning — the student should avoid 
seeking to "appear" as anything in the eyes of man, 
whether that anything be everything or nothing. Let 
the appearances go — they belong to the world of shad- 
ows and the true student has naught to do with them. 
Let the world attend to its own "appearances" — let 
it amuse itself with its childish toys, and soap bubbles. 
Do not seek to "appear" — let the world attend to that, 
it will amuse the world, and will not hurt you. We say 
this because some have translated this precept as if it 
were an incentive to assumed humility which is akin to 
the "humbleness" of Uriah Heep. As if to "appear" 
as nothing were some particular virtue ! The precept 
really means to point out the only power worth seek- 
ing, and at the same time to show the student how 
lightly the world is apt to regard such power as com- 
pared to what it calls "power," but which worldly 
power is but as the power of the lunatic who, sitting 
on a soap-box throne, with a pasteboard crown and a 
toy sceptre, imagines that he is Lord of All. Let the 
world amuse itself — it concerns you not — seek ye the 



46 ADVANCED COURSE. 

real power of the Spirit, no matter how you "appear'' 
to men. 

"Desire peace fervently." But that peace is the 
peace which comes from within, and which you may 
enioy even though you be in the midst of the battle of 
life — though you be commander-in-chief of the worldly 
army, or its humblest soldier (all one, at the last). 
This peace of the awakened and conscious soul is in- 
deed "that sacred peace which nothing can disturb, 
and in which the soul grows as does the holy flower 
upon the still lagoons." This peace comes only to one 
who has awakened to the consciousness of his real spir- 
itual existence. This state once attained enables a man 
to set aside a part of his nature into which he may re- 
tire when the troubles and strife of the outer life dis- 
turb him, and which immediately surrounds him with 
a peace "that passeth understanding," because it is 
beyond the realms of the understanding of the intellect. 
Such a sanctuary of the soul is a "haven of rest," for 
the troubled mind, and in which it may seek shelter 
from the storms which are howling without. When 
one becomes conscious of what he really is, and is able 
to see the world of illusions for what they are, he finds 
this place of peace. And, although, the necessities of 
his life have placed him in a position in which he must 
be in the thick of the fight, he really is merely in it, 
and not of it. For while one part of his nature plays 
out the part allotted to him, his higher self rises above 
the tumult, and serenely smiles at it all. Establish for 
yourself a sanctuary of the soul, in which Silence 
reigns, and into which your tired soul may creep to 
rest, and recuperate. It is this peace to which the Yogis 



MORE LIGHT ON THE PATH. 47 

refer, when they say: "Peace be with Thee." And 
may it be with you all ! And abide with you. 

"Desire possessions above all." This sounds like 
queer teaching along spiritual lines, but read on. "But 
those possessions must belong to the pure soul only, 
and be possessed therefore by all pure souls equally, 
and thus be the especial property of the whole only 
when united. Hunger for such possessions as can be 
held by the pure soul, that you may accumulate wealth 
for that united spirit of life which is your true self." 
These possessions, obviously, are not material posses- 
sions, but the possessions of the soul. And what is a 
soul able to possess. Knowledge only, for all else is 
unreal, and passeth away, Therefore let the soul de- 
sire the possession and attainment of the knowledge 
which it needs — the knowledge of the Spirit. And 
this best knowledge may be possessed by the pure soul 
only — the other kind of souls do not care for it. And 
the pure soul is willing to hold such possessions in 
common for all other souls who are able to accept a 
share in it, or to make use of it, and no attempt is made 
to claim especial property rights in such possessions, 
and it is recognized as the property of the "united 
whole." There can be no "corners" in spiritual knowl- 
edge, no matter how vigorously some mortals may 
claim to possess same — there can be no monopoly upon 
these possessions, for they are free as water to those 
who are ready and willing to receive them. Although 
the most valuable of all possessions, they are literally 
"without money and without price," and woe unto 
him who attempts to sell the gifts of the Spirit — for 
he sells that which cannot be delivered except to those 
who are ready for them, and those who are ready for 



48 ADVANCED COURSE. 

them have no need to buy — they simply help them- 
selves from the feast. We call your attention to the 
sentence which says that you should desire to "accumu- 
late wealth for that united spirit of life which is your 
real self." For when you attain spiritual knowledge 
you are not merely accumulating for yourself, but for 
others as well — you are working for the race as well 
as for yourself. The race is benefited by its individual 
members attaining spiritual knowledge, and you are 
making it easier for others of the race — those now 
living, and those who will come later. You are doing 
your part to raising the thought of the world. And, as 
you have enjoyed some of the treasures which have 
been gathered together by those who have passed on 
during the ages, so will generations to come be bene- 
fited by that which you are accumulating now. We are 
but atoms in a mighty whole, and the gain of one is 
the gain of all. Nothing is lost, Therefore "Desire 
possessions above all." 

"Seek out the way." Seek it not by strenuous en- 
deavor, but by opening up yourself to the promptings 
of the Spirit — by recognizing the hunger of the soul 
for spiritual bread — the thirst for the draught from the 
spring of life. Draw knowledge by the Law of At- 
traction. It will come to you in obedience to that law. 
It is yours for the asking, and nothing can keep it 
from you, or you from it. As Emerson says : "The 
things that are for thee, gravitate to thee. Oh, believe, 
as thou livest, that every sound that is spoken over the 
round world which thou oughtest to hear, will vibrate 
on thine ear. Every proverb, every book, every by- 
wiord that belongs to thee for aid or comfort, shall 
surely come home through open or winding passages." 



MORE LIGHT ON THE PATH. 49 

And this will be your test of the truth: When a 
message comes to you that seems to awaken a memory 
of an almost forgotten truth, then that truth is yours — 
it may not be all of that truth, but as much as you feel 
is true is yours — the rest will come in time. Emerson 
is said to have been asked to prove certain statements 
which he had made, in a lecture. He is reported as 
saying, in reply, "I trust that I shall never utter a 
statement of the truth which will need to be proved." 
He was right. Truth is self-evident. When the awak- 
ening soul hears a statement of what truth it is ready 
to receive at that time, it instinctively recognizes it 
as such. It may not be able to explain it to others, or 
even to itself. But it knows, it knows. The awakening 
faculties of the Spiritual Mind perceives truth by 
methods of their own. The Spiritual Mind does not 
run contrary to reason — but it transcends Intellect — it 
goes beyond, and sees that which the Intellect cannot 
grasp. In reading, or hearing, statements of what is 
claimed to be the truth, accept only that which appeals 
to this higher reason, and lay aside, temporarily, that 
which does not so appeal to it. In a lecture, or in a 
book, there may be only one sentence that so appeals to 
you — accept that, and let the rest go. If that which is 
passed by be real truth, it will come to you when you 
are ready for it — it cannot escape you. Be not wor- 
ried if you cannot understand all you hear or read — 
pass by that which does not awaken the answering 
ring of the spiritual keynote within you. This is a safe 
test, and rule. Apply it to all writings and teachings — 
our own included. Be not disturbed by the apparently 
conflicting teachings which you hear and read. Each 
teacher must teach in his own way, and every teacher 



50 ADVANCED COURSE. 

will reach some that the others will miss. All teachers 
have some of the truth — none have all of it. Take 
your own wherever you find it — and let the rest pass 
you by. Do not be a bigoted follower of teachers — 
listen to what they say — but apply the test of your own 
soul to all of it. Do not be a blind follower. Be an 
individual. Your soul is as good a judge as any other 
soul — better, for you, in fact. For it knows what it 
needs, and is continually reaching out for it. Teachers 
are useful — books are useful — because they suggest to 
you — they supply missing links — they give you loose 
ends of thought, which you may unwind at your leisure 
— they corroborate that which is lying half-awakened 
in your mind — they aid in the birth of new thought 
within your mind. But your own soul must do its own 
work — is the best judge of what is best for you — is 
the wisest counsellor — the most skilled teacher. Heed 
the voice of the Something Within. Trust your own 
soul, O student. Look within confidently, trustingly, 
and hopefully. Look within — for there is the spark 
from the Divine Flame. 

"Seek the way by retreating within." We have just 
spoken of this trust in the Something Within. This 
precept emphasizes this phase of occult teaching. Learn 
to retreat within the Silence, and listen to the voice of 
your soul — it will tell you many great things. In the 
Silence the Spiritual Mind will unfold and pass on to 
your consciousness bits of the great truths which lie 
buried within its recesses. It will pass on to the In- 
tellect certain fragments of truth from its own great 
storehouse, and the Intellect will afterwards accept 
them, and reason from the premises thus obtained. 
Intellect is cold — Spiritual Mind is warm and alive 



MORE LIGHT ON THE PATH. 51 

with high feeling. The Spiritual Mind is the source of 
much that is called "inspiration." Poets, painters, 
sculptors, writers, preachers, orators, and others have 
received this inspiration in all times, and do so to-day. 
This is the source from which the seer obtains his 
vision — the prophet his foresight. By development of 
his Spiritual Consciousness, Man may bring himself 
into a high relationship and contact with this higher 
part of his nature, and may thus become possessed of a 
knowledge of which the Intellect has not dared to 
dream. When we learn to trust the Spirit, it responds 
by sending us more frequent flashes of illumination 
and enlightenment. As one unfolds in Spiritual Con- 
sciousness, he relies more upon the Inner Voice, and 
is more readily able to distinguish it from the im- 
pulses from the lower planes of the mind. He learns 
to follow the guidance of the Spirit, and to allow it 
to lend him a helping hand. To be "led by the Spirit" 
is a living and real fact in the lives of all who have 
reached a certain stage of spiritual development. 

"Seek the way by advancing boldly without." Be 
not afraid. Nothing can harm you. You are a living, 
eternal soul. Therefore, be bold. Look around you 
and see what is going on in the world — and learn les- 
sons thereby. See the workings of the great loom of 
life — watch the shuttles fly — see the cloth of various 
texture and colors that is being produced. See it all 
as Life. Be not dismayed. Lessons are lying all 
around you, awaiting your study and mastery. See life 
in all its phase — this does not mean that you should 
take a backward step and try to live over again phases 
wfaich you have left behind you and with which you 
are through — but witness them all without horror or 



52 



ADVANCED COURSE. 



disgust. Remember that from the lowly phases, higher 
phases develop. From the mud of the river the beau- 
tiful lotus rears its stalk, and forcing its way through 
the water reaches the air, and unfolds its beautiful 
flower. From the mud of the physical, the plant of 
life passes through the water of the mental plane, on 
to the air of the spiritual, and there unfolds. Look 
around you and see what men are doing — what they are 
saying — what they are thinking — it is all right, in all 
its phases, for those who are in it. Live your own 
life — on your own plane of development — but scorn 
not those who are still on the lower planes. See Life 
in all its throbbing forms, and realize that you are part 
of it all. It is all one — and you are part of that one. 
Feel the swell of the wave beneath you — yield to its 
motion — you will not be submerged, for you are rid- 
ing on its crest, and borne on its bosom. Do not fear 
the outside — even while you retreat within — both are 
good — each in its place. Let your Inner Sanctuary be 
your real resting place, but be not afraid to venture 
without. Your retreat cannot be cut off. See the outer 
world, knowing that home is always awaiting you. 
There is no contradiction between the eighteenth and 
nineteenth precepts. Let us repeat them, that you may 
grasp them as but the two sides of the same truth: 
"Seek the way by retreating within — seek the way by 
advancing boldly without." Do you not see that they 
are both needed to form the whole statement of truth ? 
"Seek it not by any one road." This is a necessary 
caution. As the writer of the precepts says: "To 
each temperament there is one road which seems the 
most desirable." But there is a subtle temptation 
here — the student is very apt to rest content with that 



MORE LIGHT ON THE PATH. 53 

one road which suits his particular temperament, and, 
accordingly, is likely to shut his eyes to the other 
roads. He becomes bigoted, narrow 1 , and one-sided. 
He should explore all the lanes which seem to lead to 
the truth, gaining a little here and a little there — hold- 
ing fast to that which appeals to his inner conscious- 
ness, and letting the rest go — but condemning not that 
which he does not see fit to accept. Do not be a parti- 
san — or a bigot — or a sectarian. Because you favor 
any one form of teaching, do not hastily conclude that 
all teachings that do not agree with yours must be 
false. There are many forms of presentation of truth, 
each suited to the understanding of certain people. 
Many forms of expression, which at first sight appear 
contradictory, are afterwards seen to have the same fun- 
damental principle. Much of the apparent difference 
in teaching may be seen to be merely a matter of the 
use (or misuse) of words. When we understand each 
other's words and terms, we often find that we have 
much in common, and but little apart from each other. 

20. Seek it not by any one road. To each temperament, 
there is one road which seems the most desirable. But the 
way is not found by devotion alone, by religious contempla- 
tion alone, by ardent progress, by self-sacrificing labor, by 
studious observation of life. None alone can take the disciple 
more than one step onwards. All steps are necessary to 
make up the ladder. The vices of men become steps in the 
ladder, one by one, as they are surmounted. The virtues of 
man are steps, indeed, necessary — not by any means to be 
dispensed with. Yet, though they create a fair atmosphere 
and a happy future, they are useless if they stand alone. 
The whole nature of man must be used wisely by the one 
who desires to enter the way. Each man is to himself ab- 
solutely the way, the truth, and life. But he is only so 
when he grasps his whole individuality firmly, and, by the 
force of his awakened spiritual will, recognizes this indi- 
viduality as not himself, but that thing which he has with 
pain created for his own use, and by means of which he pur- 



54 ADVANCED COURSE. 

poses, as his growth slowly develops his intelligence, to 
reach to the life beyond individuality. When he knows that 
for this his wonderful complex, separated life exists, then, 
indeed, and then only, he is upon the way. Seek it by 
plunging into the mysterious and glorious depths of your 
own inmost being. Seek it by testing all experience, by 
utilizing the senses, in order to understand the growth and 
meaning of individuality, and the beauty and obscurity 
of those other divine fragments which are struggling side 
by side with you, and form the race to which you belong. 
Seek it by study of the laws of being, the laws of nature, 
the laws of the supernatural; and seek it by making the pro- 
found obeisance of the soul to the dim star that burns 
within. Steadily, as you watch and worship, its light will 
grow stronger. Then you may know you have found the be- 
ginning of the way. And, when you have found the end, its 
light will suddenly become the infinite light. 

The twentieth precept should be read carefully by 
every student who wishes to live the life of the Spirit, 
and who desires to advance along the Path. It should 
be read — re-read — studied. It contains within it much 
that will not be grasped at the first reading — nor the 
tenth — nor the one-hundredth. Its meaning will un- 
fold as your experiences renders you ready to receive it. 
It tells you that your life must not be one-sided — it 
must be varied. You must avail yourself of the ad- 
vantages of the inner life — and yet you must not run 
away from the world, for it has lessons for you. You 
are needed by others in the world — others need you — 
and you must play your part. You cannot run away, 
even if you want to — so accept the part that is allotted 
to you, and use your present state as a thing upon 
which you may mount to greater things. You are a 
cog in the great machinery of life, and you must do 
your work. "The whole nature of man must be used 
wisely by the one who desires to enter the way." This 
life may be carried into your business, profession or 
trade — if it cannot be taken with you everywhere, 



MORE LIGHT ON THE PATH. 55 

something is wrong with it, or with you. You must 
not expect the world to understand your view of life. 
There is no use inflicting your views upon the unready 
world— milk for babes, and meat for men, remember. 
The majority of the people around you are like unborn 
babes, spiritually— and but a very few have even drawn 
their first baby breath. Do not make the mistake of 
wearing your heart on your sleeve, for the daws to 
peck at. Play well your part in the game of life, in 
which you are forced to join. But though you see it as 
but the sport of children, do not make yourself a nuis- 
ance to the babes— join in as if you enjoyed it— you 
will learn lessons from it. Do not make the mistake 
of thinking that you have to go around wearing a 
"Sunday face"— don't try to pose as one of the "holy" 
and "too-good-for-life" sort of people. Just be natural 
—that's all. Don't be afraid to smile or laugh. A 
sense of humor is one of God's best gifts to man, and 
prevents him committing many follies. A laugh is 
often as good as a prayer. Don't take things too seri- 
ously—do not let the play of the kindergarten of God 
seem too real to you. Much of life is really a joke to 
those who can rise above and view it from there. It 
is really a play preparing the children of God for the 

real life. 

It is not necessary for us to comment upon the twen- 
tieth precept, at length, for that precept is so full and 
goes so into details, that it covers the ground fully. 
Study it carefully— it contains a rule of life for stud- 
ents. Its concluding sentences are magnificent— they 
tell you to open yourself to the unfoldment of your 
higher self, that by the light which burns within you 
all may be seen. Listen to its words: "Make the 



56 ADVANCED COURSE. 

profound obeisance of the soul to the dim star that 
burns within — steadily as you watch and worship, its 
light will grow stronger. Then you may know that 
you have found the beginning of the way — and, when 
you have found the end, its light will suddenly become 
the infinite light." 

Read, also, the note accompanying this last men- 
tioned precept. All of these teachings lead up to the 
full dawn of Spiritual Consciousness. 

The twenty-first precept bids you "look for the 
flower to bloom in the silence that follows the storm" 
— and which blooms only then. The rainbow of Spir- 
itual Consciousness appears only after the fierce storm 
which has swept you from your feet: It is the divine 
token of the peace which is coming to you. 

Our next lesson will be devoted to the subject of 
Spiritual Consciousness. In it we will take up the 
twenty-first precept, and that to which it refers. It is 
the keystone of this teaching. The other side of the 
arch must be described, but the keystone must be stud- 
ied first. Study this second lesson well during the 
month, that you may understand the one to follow it. 



LESSON III. 

Spiritual Consciousness. 

The Twenty-first precept of the first part of "Light 
on the Path" — the precept that refers directly to the 
thing that has been led up to by the preceding pre- 
cepts — tells us to : 

21. Look for the flower to bloom in the silence that fol- 
lows the storm ; not till then. 

It shall grow, it will shoot up, it will make branches and 
leaves and form buds, while the storm continues, while the 
battle lasts. But not till the whole personality of the man 
is dissolved and melted — not until it is held by the divine frag- 
ment which has created it, as a mere subject for grave experi- 
ment and experience — not until the whole nature has yielded, 
and become subject unto its higher self, can the bloom open. 
Then will come a calm such as comes in a tropical country 
after the heavy rain, when nature works so swiftly that one 
may see her action. Such a calm will come to the harassed 
spirit. And, in the deep silence, the mysterious event will oc- 
cur which will prove that the way has been found. Call it by 
what name you will. It is a voice that speaks where there is 
none to speak, it is a messenger that comes— a messenger 
without form or substance — or it is the flower of the soul that 
has opened. It cannot be described by any metaphor. But it 
can be felt after, looked for, and desired, even amid the rag- 
ing of the storm. The silence may last a moment of time, or it 
may last a thousand years. But it will end. Yet you will 
carry its strength with you. Again and again the battle must 
be fought and won. It is only for an interval that nature can 
be still. 

The flower that blooms in the silence that follows 
the storm (and only then and there) is the flower of 
Spiritual Consciousness, for the production of which 
the Plant of Life has been striving — that which caused 
the sprouting of the seed — the putting forth of roots — 



58 ADVANCED COURSE. 

the pushing of the plant through the soil of the ma- 
terial into the purer region above — the unfolding of 
leaf after leaf — the discarding of sheath after sheath 
— until finally the tiny bud of the Spirit was visible, 
and the real unfoldment began. 

This appearance of the bud of Spiritual Conscious- 
ness — the first rays of Illumination — mark a most crit- 
ical period in the evolution of the soul. And, as the 
little manual states, it occurs only after the storm — 
only when the silence has succeeded and replaced the 
rush of the winds — the roar and crash of the thunder 
— the terrifying incidents of the tempest. In the calm, 
restful period that follows the storm, great things 
await the soul. So, remember this, O soul, when you 
find yourself in the midst of the great storm of spir- 
itual unrest, which is sweeping away all the old land- 
marks — which is tearing away all that you have been 
leaning against to support yourself — which causes 
you to imagine that all is being swept away from you, 
leaving you alone without comfort, or support. For 
in that moment of spiritual distress when all is being 
taken away from you, there is coming to you that 
peace which passeth all understanding, which will 
never leave you, and which is well worth the stress 
of a thousand storms. The time of mere blind belief 
is passing from you — the time of knowing is at hand. 

It is difficult to speak of the higher spiritual experi- 
ences in the words of the lower plane. Emerson, who 
had experienced that consciousness of which we speak, 
says of it : "Every man's words, who speaks from that 
life, must sound vain to those who do not dwell in the 
same thought on their own part. I dare not speak 



SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS 59 

for it. My words do not carry its august sense; they 
fall short and cold. Only itself can inspire whom 
it will * * * Yet I desire even by profane words, 
if sacred I may not use, to indicate the heaven of this 
deity, and to report what hints I have collected of the 
transcendent simplicity and energy of the Highest 
Law." It is a thing to be felt rather than to be in- 
tellectually grasped — and yet the Intellect may par- 
tially grasp it, when the illumination of the Spirit has 
raised it (the Intellect) to higher planes. 

Knowing what lies before it, the hand that writes 
these words trembles over its work. To attempt to 
put into plain words these experiences of the Higher 
Life seems futile and foolish — and yet we seem called 
upon to make the effort. Well, so be it — the task is 
set before us — we must not shrink from it. 

In our "Fourteen Lessons" we have told of the three- 
fold mind of man — the three mental principles — the 
Instinctive Mind ; the Intellect ; the Spiritual Mind. 
We advise that you re-read the lessons bearing upon 
this subject, paying particular attention to what we 
have said regarding the Sixth Principle — the Spiritual 
Mind. This Illumination — this flower that blooms in 
the silence that follows the storm — comes from that 
part of your nature. 

But, first, let us consider what is meant by "the 
storm" which precedes the blossoming of the flower. 

Man passes through the higher stages of the In- 
stinctive Mind on to the plane of the Intellect. The 
man on the Instinctive Plane (even in its higher stages 
where it blends into the lower planes of the Intellect) 
does not concern himself with the problems of Life — 



60 ADVANCED COURSE. 

the Riddle of Existence. He does not recognize even 
that any such problem or riddle exists. He has a 
comparatively easy time, as his cares are chiefly those 
connected with the physical plane. So long as his 
physical wants are satisfied, the rest matters little to 
him. His is the childhood stage of the race. After 
a time, he begins to experience troubles on another 
plane. His awakened Intellect refuses to allow him 
to continue to take things for granted. New ques- 
tions are constantly intruding themselves, calling for 
answers. He begins to be pestered by the eternal 
"Why" of his soul. As Tolstoi so forcibly puts it : 
"As soon as the mental part of a person takes control, 
new worlds are opened, and desires are multiplied a 
thousand-fold. They become as numerous as the radii 
of a circle; and the mind, with care and anxiety, sets 
itself first to cultivate and then gratify these desires, 
thinking that happiness is to be found in that way." 
But no permanent happiness is to be found in this 
state — something fills the soul with a growing unrest, 
and beckons it on and on to higher flights. But the 
Intellect, not being able to conceive of anything higher 
than itself, resists these urgings as something un- 
worthy — some relic of former superstitions and cre- 
dulity. And so it goes around and around in its efforts 
to solve the great problems — striving for that peace and 
rest which it somehow feels is awaiting it. It little 
dreams that its only possible release lies in the un- 
foldment of something higher than itself, which w ;l l 
enable it to be used as a finer instrument. 

Many who read these lines will recognize this stage 
of terrible mental unrest — of spiritual travail— when 



SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS. 61 

our Intellect confesses itself unable to solve the great 
questions pressing upon it for answers. We beat 
against the bars of our mental cages — or like the squir- 
rel in the wheel, rush rapidly around and around, and 
yet remain just where we were at the beginning. We 
are in the midst of the mental storm. The tempest 
rages around and about us — the winds tear our cloaks 
from us, leaving us at the mercy of the tempest. We 
see swept away from our sight all that has seemed 
so firm, durable and permanent, and upon which we 
have found much comfort in leaning. All seems lost 
and we are in despair. Peace and comfort is denied 
us — the storm drives us hither and thither, and we 
know not what the end shall be. Our only hope is 
that reliance and trust in the Unseen Hand which 
prompted Newman to write those beautiful words, 
which appeal to thousands far removed from him in 
interpretation of the Truth, but who are, nevertheless, 
his brothers in the Spirit, and who therefore recognize 
his words: 

"Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom, 

Lead thou me on. 
The night is dark, and I am far from home; 

Lead thou me on. 
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see 
The distant scene; one step enough for me, 

Lead thou me on." 

In due time there comes — and it always comes in 
due time — a little gleam of light piercing through the 
clouds, lighting up to the feet of the storm-beaten 
wanderer — one step at a time — a new path, upon 
which he takes a few steps. He soon finds himself in 
a new country. As a writer has said : 



62 ADVANCED COURSE. 

"Soon he becomes conscious that he has entered 
into a new and unknown land — has crossed the borders 
of a new country. He finds himself in a strange land 
— there are no familiar landmarks — he does not recog- 
nize the scene. He realizes the great distance between 
himself and the friends he has left at the foot of the 
hill. He cries aloud for them to follow him, but they 
can scarcely hear him, and seem to fear for his safety . 
They wave their arms, and beckon with their hands 
for him to return. They fear to follow him, and 
despair of his safety. But he seems possessed of a 
new courage, and a strange impulse within him urges 
jhim on and on. To what point he is traveling, he 
knows not — but a fierce joy takes possession of him, 
and he presses on." 

The light pouring forth from the Spiritual Con- 
sciousness, leads the traveler along the Path of Attain- 
ment — if he has the courage to follow it. The light of 
the Spirit is always a safe guide, but very few of us 
have the confidence and trust which will allow us 
to accept it. The original Quakers knew of this inner 
light, and trusted it — but their descendants have but 
a glimmer of what was once a bright light. Its rays 
may be perceived by all who are ready for it, and who 
look with hope and confidence to the day when their 
eyes may view it. For know you, that this inner light 
is not the special property of the Orientals — far from it. 
The men of the East have paid more attention to the 
subject than have those of the West — but this Illumi- 
nation is the common property of the race, and is be- 
fore each and every man and woman. Instances of it 
have been known among all peoples — in all times. And 



SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS. 63 

all the records agree in the main, although the inter- 
pretations vary widely. 

The first indications of the coming of Spiritual Con- 
sciousness, is the dawning perception of the reality of 
the Ego — the awareness of the real existence of the 
Soul. When one begins to feel that he, himself, is his 
soul, rather than that he possess a wonderful some- 
thing called the "sour' of which he really knows noth- 
ing — when, we say, he feels that he is a soul, rather 
than that he has or will have a soul — then that one is 
nearing the first stages of Spiritual Consciousness, if 
indeed he is not already within its outer borders. 

There are two general stages of this blossoming of 
the flower, although they generally blend into each 
other. The first is the full perception of the "I Am" 
consciousness — the second the Cosmic Knowing. We 
will try at least clumsily and crudely to give an idea 
of these two stages, although to those who have ex- 
perienced neither our words may appear meaningless. 

The perception of the "I Am" consciousness may 
be likened to the bud of the flower — the flower itself 
being the Cosmic Knowing. Many, who have not as 
yet experienced this "I Am" consciousness, may think 
that it is simply the intellectual conception of the self, 
or perhaps the faith or belief in the reality of the soul 
which they may possess by reason of their religious 
training. But it is a far different thing. It is more than 
a mere intellectual conception, or a mere blind belief 
upon the word or authority of another — more indeed 
than even the belief in the Divine promise of immor- 
tality. It is a consciousness — a knowing — that one is 
,a soul; an awareness that one is a spiritual being— 



64 ADVANCED COURSE. 

an immortal. Here, dear friends, we are compelled 
to pause for lack of words adequate to describe the 
mental state. The race, having had no such experi- 
ences, have coined no words for it. The Sanscrit con- 
tains words which have been injected into the language 
by the ancient Yogis, and which may be at least intel- 
lectually comprehended by the educated Hindu, but 
our Western tongues contain no words whereby we 
may convey the meaning. We can only try to give 
you the idea by crude illustration. No one can de- 
scribe Love, Sympathy, or any other emotion to a 
race which had never experienced the sensation. They 
are things which must be felt. And so it is with the 
"I Am" consciousness. It comes to a soul which has 
unfolded sufficiently to admit of the rays of knowledge 
from the Spiritual Mind, and then that soul simply 
knows — that's all. It has the actual spiritual knowl- 
edge that it is an entity — immortal — but it cannot ex- 
plain it to others, nor can it, as a rule, even intellec- 
tually explain it to itself. It simply knows. And that 
knowing is not a matter of opinion, or reasoning, or 
faith, or hope, or blind belief. It is a consciousness — 
and like any other form of consciousness, it is most 
difficult to explain to one who has never experienced 
it. Imagine what it would be to explain light to a 
man born blind — sugar to one who had never tasted a 
sweet thing — cold to one who dwelt in a tropical coun- 
try and who had never experienced the sensation. We 
simply cannot explain to those who have not experi- 
enced them our spiritual experiences — a fact that is 
well known to those who have at some time in their 



SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS. 65 

lives had what are generally known as "religious" ex- 
periences. 

We know of a case in which this consciousness came 
to a man who lived in a community in which there 
seems to have been no one in a like stage of devel- 
opment. He was a business man of no mean ability, 
and his associations had been along entirely different 
lines. He felt the flood of light beating into his mind 
— the certainty of his spiritual existence impressed 
upon his consciousness — and he became very much dis- 
turbed and worried. He thought it must be a sign 
of approaching insanity, and he hoped it would pass 
off, although it gave him the greatest happiness. But 
it did not pass off, and he went so far as to make 
arrangements to transfer his business interests, fear- 
ing that he was becoming mentally unbalanced, for 
he had never heard of a similar case. However, one 
day he picked up a book, in which the writer gave 
utterances to words which could come only from one 
who had had a like experience. The man recognized 
the common language (although another would not) 
and throwing his hands above his head, he cried aloud : 
"Thank God, here's another crazy man." 

This awareness of the "I Am" has come to many- 
more people than is generally imagined, but those who 
have this consciousness, as a rule, say nothing about 
it, for fear that their friends, relatives and neighbors 
would consider them abnormal and mentally unsound. 
And, indeed, it is not always wise to relate these ex- 
periences to others, for those who have not reached 
the same plane cannot understand, and seeing in an- 
other a thing of which they can have no comprehen- 



66 ADVANCED COURSE. 

sion, are apt to consider him irrational. It is a strange 
thing — an amusing thing — that in a world made up 
of people who claim to believe that each man is (or 
"has" as the term goes) an immortal soul, one who 
claims to really know this to be a fact is regarded as 
abnormal. The belief of the race is only skin-deep — 
the people are as much afraid of death, or more so, 
than the man who believes that death ends all. They 
reject all evidences of other planes of existence, con- 
sidering those who teach of and believe in them as be- 
ing either imposters or lunatics. They live and act 
as if this earth-life were all, in spite of all their claims 
and expressed beliefs. They half-believe certain 
teachings, but have no real knowledge, and deny that 
anyone else may possess that which they themselves 
lack. 

But to the one into whose field of consciousness 
have come some rays of the truth from the Spiritual 
Mind, these things are no longer mere beliefs — they 
are realities, and although such a one may apparently 
conform to the beliefs of the world around him, he 
becomes a different being. Others notice a something 
different about him, keep he ever so quiet. They can- 
not explain just what if is, but they feel something. 

It must not be imagined that this budding conscious- 
ness springs fullgrown into a man's mind at once. It 
has done so in some cases, it is true, but in the ma- 
jority of instances, it is a matter of slow growth, but 
the man is never just the same after the growth com- 
mences. He apparently may lose his full conscious- 
ness of the truth, but it will come back to him again and 
again, and all the time it is working gradually to make 



SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS. 67 

over that man's nature, and his changed mental atti- 
tude manifests itself in his actions. He becomes more 
cheerful and happy. Things that worry his neighbors 
seem to have but little effect upon him. He finds it 
hard to manifest a respectable amount of regret and 
grief over things that bear heavily upon those around 
him. He is apt to be regarded as unfeeling and heart- 
less, notwithstanding his heart may be full of Love 
and Kindness. His mental attitude is changed — his 
viewpoint has shifted. He finds himself ceasing to 
fear, and those around him are apt to consider him 
reckless or thoughtless. Time has less meaning to 
him, for the idea of eternity has come to him. Distance 
ceases to appal him, for is not all space his? Such 
a one had better keep quiet, or he will be sure to be 
considered a "queer fish," and people may tap their 
foreheads significantly when speaking of him (behind 
his back). 

There is another peculiarity about this phase of Spir- 
itual Consciousness, and that is that one who has it 
will recognize its language in the writings of others. 
He may pick up the works of some of the ancient 
writers, or even some of the modern ones, and where 
others see only beautiful language, he will listen to a 
heart-to-heart talk from his brother-in-thought. Some 
writers, having but a slight degree of spiritual insight, 
will fall into a "mood" in which the Spiritual Mind 
deftly passes on its words to the lower mental prin- 
ciple, and the result is that the spiritual meaning is 
resdily grasped by those ready for it, even though 
the writer may not fully understand what he has writ- 
ten. When Spirit speaks, Spirit hears. 



68 ADVANCED COURSE. 

Let those who read these words, if they have had 
this consciousness in a greater or lesser degree, take 
courage. Let not your loneliness oppress or depress you. 
There are thousands who are your brothers and sis- 
ters in this great understanding, and their thought will 
seek yours and both will be benefited. Keep quiet to 
those around you, if you see fit, but open up yourself 
to the sympathy and help that will surely come to you 
along the channels of the thought currents. Your 
thought will attract to you the similar thought of others 
of the same consciousness, and theirs will attract yours. 
In books, writings, pictures, you will find words which 
are written for you and your kind. Read over the old 
books, and see how different they appear to you, now 
that you understand. Read the Bible; read Shake- 
speare; read the poets and the philosophers; and see 
how soon you will recognize that the writers are your 
brothers. The dark corners and hard sayings will be- 
come plain to you now. You need not be alone — you 
are one of a great and growing family. 

But, on the other hand, avoid being possessed of an 
inflated idea of your own development. You are but 
on the threshold, and the great hall of the Occult is 
before you, and in that hall there are many degrees, 
and an initiation must be met and passed before you 
may go on. 

Before we pass to the next stage of the growth of 
the flower, it may be interesting to our readers to 
listen to a description of a peculiar experience related 
by that great modern writer, Rudyard Kipling — he 
who understands much more than he tells his English 
and American readers— in his story of East Indian 



SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS. 69 

life, entitled "Kim:" Many read what he has said and 
can "see nothing in it," but those who have had 
glimpses of this Spiritual Consciousness will readily 
understand it. Here it is: 

" 'Now am I alone — all alone/ he thought. 'In all 
India is no one else so alone as I ! If I die to-day, who 
shall bring the news — and to whom? If I live and 
God is good, there will be a price upon my head, for 
I am a Son of the Charm — I, Kim.' 

"A very few white people, but many Asiatics, can 
throw themselves into amazement, as it were, by re- 
peating their own names over and over again to them- 
selves, letting the mind go free upon speculation as 
to what is called personal identity. * * * 

'"Who is Kim— Kim— Kim ?' 

"He squatted in a corner of the clanging waiting 
room, rapt from all other thoughts; hands folded in 
lap, and pupils contracted to pin points. In a moment 
— in another half-second — he felt that he would ar- 
rive at the solution of the tremendous puzzle ; but here, 
as always happens, his mind dropped away from those 
heights with the rush of a wounded bird, and passing 
his hand before his eyes, he shook his head. 

"A long-haired Hindu bairagi (holy man) who had 
just bought a ticket, halted before him at that mo- 
ment and stared intently. 

" 'I also have lost it,' he said sadly. 'It is one of 
the gates of the Way, but to me it has been shut many 
years.' 

" 'What is thy talk ?' said Kim, abashed. 

' 'Thou wast wondering, there in thy spirit, what 
manner of thing thy soul might be, * * * / 



70 ADVANCED COURSE. 

know. Who should know but I?' " {Kim, by Rudyard 
Kipling. Pages 295-96. Doubleday, Page & Co., New 
York.) 

Tennyson, the poet, according to the testimony of 
intimate friends, at times produced an ecstatic mood 
and a mild degree of spiritual illumination by a similar 
process to that followed by "Kim." He would repeat 
his first name, over and over, meditating on his real 
identity, and he stated that at such times he would 
become perfectly aware of immortality and the reality 
of his existence as a living soul, independent of the 
body. 

Personally we do not favor this method of "breaking 
into the Kingdom," but prefer that the unfolding Spir- 
itual Mind should gradually throw its light into the 
field of consciousness. This we consider the better way, 
although many Yogi teachers think otherwise, and in- 
struct their students in exercises calculated to cause 
this consciousness to unfold. It is simply a difference 
of opinion as to methods, and we have no desire to urge 
our ideas upon our students, if they prefer the other 
method. 

One of the most rational and reasonable of these 
Yogi exercises for aiding the unfoldment is given in 
the next several paragraphs. 

Exercise. 

Place your body in a relaxed, reclining position. 
P>reathe rhythmically, and meditate upon the Real Self, 
thinking of yourself as an entity independent of the 
body, although inhabiting it and being able to leave 



SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS. -]\ 

it at will. Think of yourself, not as the body, but as 
a soul. Think of your body as but a shell, useful and 
comfortable, but merely an instrument for the con- 
venience of the real You. Think of yourself as an in- 
dependent being, using the body freely and to the best 
advantage, and having full control and mastery over it. 
While meditating, ignore the body entirely, and you 
will find that you will often become almost uncon- 
scious of it. You may even experience the sensation 
of being out of the body, and of returning to it when 
through with the exercise. (Rythmic breathing is de- 
scribed in our little book, "Science of Breath.") 

Mantram and Meditation. 

In connection with the above Yogi exercise, the stu- 
dent may, if he desire, use the following Mantram and 
Meditation : 

"I AM. I assert the reality of my existence — not 
merely my physical existence, which is but temporal 
and relative — but my real existence in the Spirit, which 
is eternal and absolute. I assert the reality of the Ego 
—my Soul— My-self. The real T is the Spirit prin- 
ciple, which is manifesting in body and mind, the high- 
est expression of which I am conscious being Myself 
— my Soul. This T cannot die nor become annihi- 
lated. It may change the form of its expression, or the 
vehicle of its manifestation, but it is always the same 
T— a bit of the Universal Spirit— a drop from the 
great ocean of Spirit— a spiritual atom manifesting in 
my present consciousness, working toward perfect un- 
foldment. I am my Soul— my Soul is I— all the rest 



72 ADVANCED COURSE. 

is but transitory and changeable. I Arn — I Am — I 
Am." Repeat the words "I Am" a number of times. 

The student should endeavor to give a few minutes 
each day to silent meditation, finding as quiet a place 
as possible, and then lying or sitting in an easy position, 
relaxing every muscle of the body and calming the 
mind. Then when the proper conditions are ob- 
served, he will experience that peculiar sensation of 
calmness and quiet which indicate the condition known 
as "entering the Silence." Then he should repeat the 
above Mantram, or some similar one (there is no spe- 
cial virtue in the mere words), and should meditate 
along the lines indicated. The Mantram "I AM," if 
clearly understood and impressed upon the mind, will 
give to the student an air of quiet dignity and calm 
manifestation of power, which will be apparent to 
those with whom he comes in contact. It will sur- 
round him with a thought aura of strength and power. 
It will enable him to cast off" fear and to look the world 
of men and women calmly in the eyes, knowing that 
he is an eternal soul, and that naught can really harm 
him. Even the more simple stages of this consciousness 
will lift one above the petty cares, worries, hates, fears, 
and jealousies of the lower mental states, and will 
cause one to be a man or woman "of the Spirit," in 
truth. Such people have a helpful effect upon those 
with whom they come in contact, as there is an un- 
definable aura surrounding them which causes others 
to recognize that they are worthy of confidence and 
respect. 

These meditations and exercises will often aid one 
w^terially in developing a consciousness of the reality 



SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS. 73 

of the soul. The sense of immortality will come grad- 
ually as the consciousness unfolds. But the student 
must not allow himself to live too much in "the upper 
regions," or to despise his body or the world and peo- 
ple around him. This is known as "spiritual pride," 
and will have its downfall. You are here in the world 
for a purpose, and must get the experiences necessary 
to fully round you out. You are in exactly the best 
position for the experiences you need — and you will 
not be kept there one moment longer than is necessary 
for your ultimate good. Live, grow, and unfold — liv- 
ing your own life— doing the best you can. "And be 
Kind." 

This "I Am" consciousness, while a great advance 
over the consciousness common to the race, is still but 
a preliminary to the Cosmic Knowing which awaits the 
unfolding soul. It is but the bud which will in time 
open out and grow into the perfect flower. If it has 
been difficult to explain in simple words the experiences 
just touched upon, it may be imagined how we feel 
about approaching this higher phase. But we will try 
to do our best, although of necessity our words must 
be weak and inadequate. To those not ready for the 
truth what we say must seem like the veriest nonsense, 
but even these people will remember what we say, and 
when the time comes may be partially prepared for it. 
As good old Walt Whitman has said : "My words will 
itch in your ears till you understand them." 

This Cosmic Knowing is the full flower which will 
"bloom in the silence that follows the storm," as the 
writer, or transcriber, of "Light on the Path" has so 



74 ADVANCED COURSE. 

beautifully expressed it. It is that which comes as 
the result of "Illumination." 

The occult writers of all times have spoken of this 
thing - , and it has also been partially described by people 
in all times — of all forms of religious belief. Many 
have supposed it to have come as the result of the 
worship of some particular conception of Deity, or as 
the incident of some particular form of creed. But it 
is really a thing above creeds or particular conceptions 
of the Absolute — it is a part of the Divine heritage of 
the race. Many of the Oriental writers have described 
this thing in their own words — many of the old Quak- 
ers experienced it, and have given it their own names 
— many Catholic saints describe it in their writings, 
and even some of the great Protestant leaders and 
preachers have given bewildered accounts of the great 
thing that came upon them. Each, as a rule, however, 
attributed it to some particular thing in their faith. 
Great poets have felt its influence, and testimony along 
the same general lines comes to us from many differ- 
ent sources. Some have had it gradually dawn upon 
them, wax strong, and then fade away, leaving them 
changed beings, living afterwards in hope of again ex- 
periencing the great thing. Others have had it burst 
upon them suddenly, with an impression that they were 
submerged in a brilliant light (from whence comes the 
term "illumination"), which also passed away, leav- 
ing them changed beings. The experience seems to 
come to no two souls in exactly the same way, and 
yet there is a common point of resemblance between 
the testimony of all. A Western writer (now passed 
out of the body) one Dr. Richard Maurice Bucke, of 



SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS 75 

London, Ontario, Canada, having experienced this 
illumination, and having found that his friend Walt 
Whitman and other friends had had similar experi- 
ences, has gathered the testimony of a number of peo- 
ple whom he believed to have undergone the same un- 
foldment. He published the result of his research in 
a very valuable book entitled "Cosmic Consciousness: 
a Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind" (Innes 
& Sons, Philadelphia, Penna., U. S. A.), which book 
was issued in the shape of a limited edition of five 
hundred copies, and is now, we believe, out of print. 
It may possibly be found in some of the great libraries 
in our principal cities, and is well worth a careful read- 
ing. The Oriental writings are full of this subject, 
and Western literature is beginning to show signs of its 
recognition. 

In nearly all the Western writings, however, what 
is described are but typical incidents of spontaneous 
flashes of this great consciousness. Occultists of great 
degree of advancement are able to produce this state 
at will, and certain most highly advanced souls in the 
flesh, who are not before the public as teachers or 
writers, are believed to dwell in this consciousness al- 
most continually, their work for the world being done 
through others (less highly developed), whom they in- 
spire with fragments of their great wisdom. 

In a general way, the experience may be described 
as an actual realization of the Oneness of all, and of 
one's connection with that One. The atom of light 
helping to compose the ray, realizes for an instant its 
connection with .the Central Sun— the drop in the ocean 
realizes for a moment its relation to the Ocean of Spirit. 



;6 ADVANCED COURSE. 

The Hindus have spoken of the more intense manfesta- 
tions of this breaking in upon the consciousness of the 
light from the Spiritual Mind, as the "Brahmic Splen- 
dor." 

The prevailing emotion during this experience is a 
feeling of intense joy — something far above any other 
joy that has ever been felt — a sensation of Absolute 
Joy, if the term may be permitted. And the memory of 
this great Joy — the reflection from its light — lingers 
with the soul forever after. Those who have once ex- 
perienced this thing, are ever after more cheerful, and 
happy, and seem to have a hidden and secret fount of 
joy from which they may drink with the soul thirsts. 
The intense joy fades away gradually, but something 
is left behind to comfort and cheer. This feeling of 
Joy is so strong that it can ever after be thought of 
with the keenest delight — its very recollection will cause 
the blood to tingle and the heart to throb whenever the 
mind reverts to the experience. 

Then there is experienced an intellectual illumina- 
tion, or a pouring in of "knowing," impossible to de- 
scribe. The sold becomes conscious that it possess in 
itself absolute knowledge — knowledge of all things — 
the "why and wherefore" of everything is recognized 
as being contained within itself. The sensation cannot 
be described, even faintly. It is so far above anything 
that the human mind has ever experienced that there 
is simply no words with which to tell that which has 
been felt and known. Everything seems made plain — 
it is not a sense of an increased ability to reason, de- 
duce, classify, or determine — the soul simply knows. 
The feeling may last but a fraction of a second of time 



SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS. 77 

— one loses all sense of time and space during the ex- 
perience — but the subsequent intense feeling of regret 
over the great thing that has slipped away from the con- 
sciousness can scarcely be imagined by one who has not 
experienced it. The only thing that enables the mind to 
bear the loss is the certainty that some time — some 
where — the experience will be repeated, and that cer- 
tainty makes existence "worth while." It is a foretaste 
of what is before the soul. 

One of the principal things indelibly impressed upon 
the mind by this glimpse of the higher consciousness 
is the knowledge — the certainty — that Life pervades 
everything — that the Universe is filled with life, and is 
not a dead thing. Life and Intelligence is seen to fill 
everything. Eternal Life is sensed. Infinity is 
grasped. And the words "Eternal" and "Infinite," ever 
after have distinct and real meanings when thought of, 
although the meaning cannot be explained to others. 

Another sensation is that of perfect Love for all 
of Life — this feeling also transcends any feeling of love 
ever before experienced. The feeling of Fearlessness 
possesses one during the experience — perhaps it would 
be better to say that one is not conscious of Fear — 
there seems to be no reason for it, and it slips away from 
one. One does not even think of Fear during the ex- 
perience, and only realizes that he was entirely free 
from it when he afterwards recalls some of his sensa- 
tions. The feeling of knowledge, certainty, trust and 
confidence that possesses one, leaves no room for Fear. 

Another sensation is that that something which we 
might style "the consciousness of Sin" has slipped 
from one. The conception of "Goodness" of the entire 



78 ADVANCED COURSE. 

Universe takes its place. By "goodness" we do not 
mean the goodness of one thing as compared to an- 
other, but a sense of absolute Goodness. 

As we have said, this experience when it has once 
come to the soul, leaves it as a changed entity. The 
man is never the same man afterward. Although the 
keen recollection wears off, gradually, there remains 
a certain memory which afterward proves a source of 
comfort and strength to him, especially when he feels 
weak of faith and faint of heart — when he is shaken 
like a reed by the winds of conflicting opinions and 
speculations of the Intellect. The memory of the ex- 
perience is a source of renewed strength — a haven of 
refuge to which the weary soul flies for shelter from 
the outside world, which understands it not. 

Let us conclude this feeble attempt to describe that 
which may not be described, by repeating our own 
words, spoken to you in the Third of the Fourteen 
Lessons : 

From the writings of the ancient philosophers of all 
races ; from the songs of the great poets of all peoples ; 
from the preachings of the prophets of all religions and 
times ; we* can gather traces of this illumination which 
has come to Man — this unfoldment of the Spiritual 
Consciousness. One has told of it in one way, the other 
in another form, — but all tell practically the same story. 
All who have experienced this illumination, even in a 
faint degree, recognize the like experience in the tale, 
the song, the preaching of another, though centuries 
roll between them. It is the song of the Soul, which 
once heard is never forgotten. Though it be sounded 
"by the crude instrument of the semi-barbarous races, 



SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS. 79 

or by the finished instrument of the talented musician 
of to-day, its strains are plainly recognized. From old 
Egypt comes the song — from India in all ages — from 
Ancient Greece and Rome — from the early Christian 
saint — from the Quaker Friend — from the Catholic 
monasteries — from the Mohammedan mosque — from 
the Chinese philosopher — from the legends of the 
American Indian hero-prophet — it is always the same 
strain, and it is swelling louder and louder, as many 
more are taking it up and adding their voices or the 
sound of their instruments to the grand chorus. 

May this great joy of Illumination be yours, dear 
students. And it will be yours when the proper time 
comes. When it comes be not dismayed — when it 
leaves you mourn not its loss, for it will come again. 
Live on, reaching ever upward toward your Real Self 
and opening up yourself to its influence. Be always 
willing to listen to the Voice of the Silence — willing 
always to respond to the touch of the Unseen Hand. 
Do not fear, for you have within you always the Real 
Self, which is a spark from the Divine Flame — it will 
be as a lamp to your feet, to point out the way. 

We would call the attention of the student to what 
the "Light on the Path" says about the blossoming of 
the flower. It tells us that while the storm continues 
— while the battle lasts — the plant will grow ; shoot 
up ; will make branches and leaves ; will form buds 
(note what we have said about the budding stage which 
precedes the full bloom), but that the bloom cannot 
open until the "whole personality of the man is dis- 
solved and melted — not until it is held by the divine 
fragment which has created it, as a mere subject for 



So ADVANCED COURSE. 

grave experiment and experience — not until the whole 
nature has yielded, and become subject unto its higher 
self." 

The "whole personality'' referred to is the lower 
part of the soul — its lower principles. Not until the 
lower nature is brought under the mastery of the high- 
est that has unfolded in one, can this longed for event 
occur. So long as the lower part of one's nature is 
allowed to rule and master him, he shuts out the divine 
light. Only when he asserts the real "I" does he be- 
come ready for further unfoldment. We have told 
you what the bloom or bud is — the "I Am" conscious- 
ness. When you have fully grasped this, and realize 
what you are, and have made that highest (as yet) con- 
sciousness the master of your lower principles, then 
are you ready for the bloom to open. 

Listen to these beautiful words, from the text: "Then 
will come a calm such as comes in a tropical country 
after the heavy rain, when nature works so swiftly that 
one may see her action. Such a calm will come to the 
harassed spirit. And, in the deep silence, the mys- 
terious event will occur which will prove that the way 
has been found." We have tried to tell you what is 
that mysterious event. We trust that we have at least 
made possible a clearer conception of it on your part. 

The writer of the little manual evidently shared the 
difficulty that confronts everyone who attempts to de- 
scribe the great experience. She goes on to say : "Call 
it by whatever name you will, it is a voice that speaks 
where there is none to speak ; it is a messenger that 
comes — a messenger without form or substance — or 
it is the flower of the soul that has opened. It cannot 



SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS. 81 

be described by any metaphor. But it can be felt after, 
looked for, and desired, even amid the raging of the 
storm." 

She goes on then to speak of the duration of "the 
silence that follows the storm," in which occurs the 
"mysterious event." She says: "The silence may last 
a moment of time, or it may last a thousand years. JBut 
it will end. Yet you will carry its strength with you. 
Again and again must the battle be fought and won. 
It is only for an interval that nature can be still." 

In this last paragraph, the text evidently refers to 
the partial or temporary Illumination to which we have 
referred in this lesson. The time when the Spiritual 
Consciousness will become permanent — when the 
Brahmic Splendor remains with the soul continuously, 
is far beyond us — those who enjoy that state are now 
beings far beyond us in the spiritual scale. And yet 
they were once are as we — we shall some day be as 
they now are. These flashes of Illumination come to 
the advanced student as he progresses along the Path. 
And although they leave him, he carries their strength 
with him. 

We would also call the attention of the student to the 
foot note accompanying this last precept, as it contains 
a wonderful occult truth in the shape of a promise. 
This promise has cheered thousands along The Path — 
has nerved them for further efforts — has given them 
renewed ardor and courage. Listen to it: "Know, O 
disciple ! that those who have passed through the silence, 
and felt its peace, and retained its strength, they long 
that you shall' pass through it also. Therefore, in the 



82 ADVANCED COURSE. 

Hall of Learning, when he is capable of entering there, 
the disciple will always find his master." 

The last foot note in Part I, of "Light on the Path" 
(the one that concludes that part of the little manual), 
should be read carefully by the student, as it contains 
important information. We think it better to insert it 
here, lest it may be overlooked. We trust that we have 
enabled you to understand it a little more clearly than 
before. When one has the key he is able to open the 
many doors in the Hall of Learning, and gaze upon its 
wonderful contents, even though he may not as yet be 
privileged to enter. 

Here is the foot note referred to : 

Note. — Those that ask shall have. But, though the ordinary 
man asks perpetually, his voice is not heard. For he asks with 
his mind only, and the voice of the mind ia only heard on that 
plane on which the mind acts. Therefore, not until the first 
twenty-one rules are past, do I say those that ask shall have. 

To read in the occult sense, is to read with the eyes of the 
spirit. To ask, is to feel the hunger within — the yearning of 
spiritual aspiration. To be able to read, means having ob- 
tained the power in a small degree of gratifying that hunger. 
When the disciple is ready to learn, then he is accepted, ack- 
nowledged, recognized. It must be so; for he has lit his 
lamp, and it cannot be hidden. But to learn is impossible un- 
til the first great battle has been. won. The mind may recognize 
truth, but the spirit cannot receive it. Once having passed 
through the storm, and attained the peace, it is then always 
possible to learn, even though the disciple waver, hesitate and 
turn aside. The voice of the silence remains within him; and 
though he leave the path utterly, yet one day it will resound, 
and render him asunder, and separate his passions from his 
divine possibilities. Then, with pain and desperate cries from 
the deserted lower self, he will return. 

Therefore, I say, Peace be with you. ' ' My peace I give unto 
you" can only be said by the Master to the beloved dis- 
ciples who are as himself. There are some, even among those 
who are ignorant of the Eastern wisdom, to whom this can be 
said ; and to whom it can daily be said with more completeness. 

This concludes our consideration of the first part, of 



SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS. 83 

"Light on the Path." The second part lies before us. 
It may be objected to that the second part refers to the 
experience of the student, after he has passed through 
the silence which followed the storm, and that it con- 
cerns not the student who has not as yet reached that 
stage. To this we answer, that the experiences of the 
privileged student have very close correspondences in 
the experiences of the student who has not yet at- 
tained. The Path is a spiral, and although the traveler 
along it constantly mounts higher, yet he goes around 
and around, a single turn of the spiral above the place 
where he walked a little while back. Therefore these 
experiences have correspondences on the higher and 
lower levels of the spiral. We feel impressed to con- 
tinue this consideration of this wonderful little manual, 
and we feel that the student on the lower levels may 
receive encouragement, benefit and understanding from 
the same. The second part of the manual contains 
great truths, which may profit us all. Let us face 
them. 

Many of our students have asked them for some of 
the Yogi exercises for developing this Spiritual Illumi- 
nation. Answering this, we say that the best Yogi au-* 
thorities do not encourage many of the practices in- 
dulged in by the less enlightened of their brethren. 
They believe that such practices are more or less ab- 
normal, and instead of producing the real illumination 
desired, simply help to bring on a psychic condition 
which is but a reflection of the desired state — a moon 
instead of the Sun. And such psychic states do not 
aid in spiritual unfoldment, although they undoubtedly 
do produce an ecstatic condition, pleasing for the mo- 



84 ADVANCED COURSE. 

ment — a psychic intoxication, if we are permitted to 
use the term. 

Meditation along the lines of thought touched upon 
in this lesson, or similar writings, is of course of bene- 
fit, and many Yogi students accompany this with rhyth- 
mic breathing which has a tranquilizing effect. But at 
the best, these things merely prepare the ground for the 
growth of the plant from which the blossom springs. 
The plant itself comes when its time is ripe, and cannot 
be forced unduly. Let us prepare the best conditions 
for its growth and welfare. Give it welcome when it 
comes — and until that time let us live up to the highest 
within us. The fact that you (the student) are at- 
tracted toward these subjects, is a sign that you are un- 
folding spiritually. Otherwise they would not attract 
you. If these words find a response in your soul, be 
assured that your own is coming to you, and that yon 
are well along The Path. Look for the light, for it will 
come — be worthy of its coming. 

In conclusion, listen to these words of Edward Car- 
penter : 

"O, let not the flame die out! Cherished age after 
age in its dark caverns, in its holy temples cherished. 
Fed by pure ministers of love — let not the flame die 
out." 



LESSON IV. 

The Voice of the Silence. 

Part II of "Light on the Path" opens with the fol- 
lowing statement: 

Out of the silence that is peace, a resonant voice shall 
arise. And this voice will say: It is not well, thou has 
reaped, now thou must sow. And, knowing this voice to 
be the silence itself, thou wilt obey. 

The resonant voice that proceeds from "out of the 
silence that is peace" is the voice of Spirit forcing its 
way into the field of consciousness. The voice is not 
as plain as when heard at the moment of illumina- 
tion, for the ear is filled with the vibrations of the 
lower planes, and cannot sense so clearly the high vi- 
brations proceeding from the upper regions of the 
mind. But the voice is insistent, and if listened 
to will make itself heard. It will not be confused 
with the thought-waves with which the ether is filled, 
for when one thinks of the spiritual plane he is lifted 
upward mentally, and the lower vibrations cannot 
reach him so plainly. He soon learns to distinguish 
the clear pure voice of Spirit from the grosser thought- 
waves that are beating upon him. The voice of 
Spirit always has an "upward" tendency, and its in- 
fluence is always toward higher things. 

"And this voice will say : It is not well ; thou hast 
reaped, now thou must sow." This passage pictures 
the longing which possesses the true occultist, who 
has experienced the higher consciousness, and which 



86 ADVANCED COURSE. 

impels him to carry out in actual life the truth which 
he has received — to manifest in action and associa- 
tion with the world, the thought which has come to 
him in the silence. 

The soul may wait in solitude until the truth comes 
to it — but the truth, when once received and given a 
lodgment in the heart, fills the soul with a divine 
unrest, and causes it to go forth into the world and 
live the life of the Spirit among and with men, in- 
stead of apart and away from them. The man to 
whom spiritual illumination has come — even in its 
lightest form — is a changed being. He radiates 
thought of a different character from that emanat- 
ing from the minds of those around him. He has 
different ideals and consequently different thoughts. 
And his thought-waves have an effect upon the great 
body of thought-waves of the world. They leaven 
the mass — they are like the stream of pure water 
pouring into the muddy pond, which pure stream 
gradually clears the entire pond. His thoughts and 
presence are needed in the world's work, and so the 
Spiritual Mind sends him an impulse to go forth and 
live the life — to live it among men and women, and 
not apart from them. It says to him : "Thou hast 
reaped, now thou must sow." "And knowing this 
voice to be the silence itself," he obeys. 

There are three great stages in the spiritual and 
mental life of the race, and as the babe before birth 
goes through all the physical changes, shapes and 
forms that the race has passed through during long 
as:es of evolution, so does the growing man go through 



THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE. 87 

the stages of the mental and spiritual evolution of the 
race. But the individual goes through only such 
changes as lead up to the stage of evolution he has 
reached at full maturity. He may reach only Stage 
I, if he is a Stage I individual. If he is a Stage II 
individual he passes through Stage I and then on to 
Stage II. If he is a Stage III soul, he passes through 
Stage I, and then Stage II (as rapidly as may be) and 
then unfolds into the Stage III consciousness. Let 
us consider these three stages. 

Stage I is that plane of life in which the Instinc- 
tive Mind is in control, the Intellect not being suf- 
ficiently developed to assert itself fully and the Spirit- 
ual Mind being scarcely recognized. In this stage 
live the primitive races — and the young child. Those 
dwelling in it have but little concern for aught but 
that which pertains to the physical life. Their thoughts 
are mainly those relating to food, shelter, and the 
gratification of the physical senses. There exists 
among these people a certain freedom, democracy, and 
a lack of the "I am holier than thou'' or "better than 
thou" feeling, which renders their life freer and easier, 
and happier, than that of those in the next highest 
stage. They know little or nothing about "sin," and 
generally follow their desires without question. They 
have a sort of instinctive belief in a higher power, 
but do not trouble themselves much about it, nor do they 
imagine that certain ceremonies or observances are 
pleasing to Deity, and that failure to perform are apt 
to arouse his wrath. They do not worry much about 
their chances of "salvation," and' are disposed instinc- 



SB ADVANCED COURSE. 

tively to realize that the Power that takes care of them 
Here, will take care of them There. 

Stage II commences when the Intellect begins to as- 
sume control. Man then begins to awaken to a sense 
of "good and evil." He recognizes a mysterious some- 
thing coming from a still higher part of his mind, 
which makes him feel ashamed of doing certain selfish 
things, and which causes him to experience a feeling 
of peace and satisfaction when he has done certain 
(comparatively) unselfish things. But the Intellect 
does not stop with this. It begins to invent "good" 
things, and "bad" things. Priests and prophets arise 
who say that certain things (usually the giving of a 
part of one's goods to the temple) are "good" and 
pleasing to Deity; and that certain other things (for 
instance, the refusal to attend the temple, or to con- 
tribute to its support) are "bad" and certain to be pun- 
ished by Deity. These priests and prophets invent 
heavens suited to the desires of their followers, and 
hells filled with the particular things that their people 
fear. Things are separated into "good" and "bad," 
the "bad" list seeming to be the larger. Most of the 
pleasant things of life are placed in the "bad" list for 
no other reason than that they are pleasant. In the 
same way the "good" list includes the majority of 
unpleasant things, the prevailing idea being that 
Deity delights in seeing his children doing things un- 
pleasant to them, and waxes wroth if they chance to 
indulge in a pleasant act. Creeds and sects are de- 
vised, and dire punishment is meted to those who do 



THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE. 89 

not accept the former and join the latter. The idea 
seems to be that those who do not agree with one's 
particular conception of Deity are "against God," or 
"God's enemies/' and must and will be punished by 
him. People often prefer to relieve God of the task 
of punishing these unbelievers, and proceed to do it 
themselves. 

People in this stage of spiritual development are 
usually quite strenuous. They declare certain days 
to be "holy" (as if all days were not so) and insist 
that certain places are holier than others. They claim 
that certain peoples and races are "chosen" and favored, 
and that the rest are hated by Deity. They insist that 
only a handful of men are to be "saved," and that 
the majority of God's children are destined to ever- 
lasting damnation and punishment. Hell is very hot 
when seen from the viewpoint of Stage II. Hate, 
arising from the feeling of self-righteousness, is a 
marked characteristic of this stage — sects are formed, 
and hate and jealousy are manifested between them. 
Fear reigns, and the Divine Love is almost lost sight 
of. The Brotherhood of Man is but a name in this 
stage — all the brotherly feeling that is to be seen is 
confined to the people belonging to some particular 
sect. The outsiders are not "brothers," but "heathen," 
"pagans," "unbelievers," "dissenters," "heretics," etc. 
The sense of the Oneness of All, which is instinctively 
felt in Stage I (and both seen and felt in Stage III), 
is apparently neither seen or felt in Stage II. In this 
stage separateness seems to be the keynote. As the 
race passes still further along in this stage, and In- 



go ADVANCED COURSE. 

tellect further unfolds, the reasoning faculties cause 
it to discard many superstitions and foolish notions 
that had at one time seemed sacred and the truth itself. 
Sheath after sheath is discarded as outworn and no 
longer necessary, and usually a period of disbelief and 
skepticism sets in. The old things have been thrown 
aside, but nothing seems to have come to take their 
place. But after this phase, the Spiritual Mind seems 
to concentrate its effort to force into the field of con- 
sciousness the internal evidence of the truth — of real 
religion — of the teachings of Spirit. And Man grad- 
ually passes into Stage III. 

Stage III people see good in everyone — in all things 
— in every place. Some things are seen to be more 
highly developed than others, but all are seen to form 
a part of the great plan. The developed soul parts 
with certain things from lack of desire, casting them 
off as worn out tools or clothing. But it sees that 
to others these same things are the best they have, 
and are far better than some other things which these 
undeveloped people had parted company with still 
farther back. It sees that all of life is on the Path — 
some a little farther advanced than others, but all 
journeying in the same direction. It sees all learn- 
ing their lessons and profiting by their mistakes. It 
sees manifestations of both '"good" and "bad" (rela- 
tive terms) in each man and woman, but prefers to 
look for the "good" in the sinner, rather than for 
the "bad" in the saint. It sees in "sin" principally 
mistakes, misdirected energy, and undeveloped mind. 

The Stage III soul sees good in all forms of re- 



THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE. 91 

ligions — so much so that it finds it hard to follow the 
narrow creeds of any particular one. It sees the 
Absolute worshiped and recognized in all the concep- 
tions of Deity that have ever originated in the human 
mind, from the stone idol to the highest conception 
of Deity known to any of "the churches," the differ- 
ence being solely in the spiritual growth of the dif- 
ferent worshipers. As man grows, his conception of 
Deity advances — a man's idea of God is merely him- 
self magnified. The God of the advanced man does not 
appeal to the savage, any more than does the God of 
the savage attract the advanced man. Each is doing 
the best he can, and is setting up a conception corre- 
sponding to his particular stage of growth. A writer 
has aptly expressed this thought in these words: "A 
man's god is himself at his best, and his devil is 
himself at his worst." But devils pass away from 
Man as his conception of Deity enlarges. 

But the great distinguishing thought of the Stage 
III man is his consciousness of the Oneness of All. 
He sees, and feels, that all the world is alive and full 
of intelligence in varying degrees of manifestation. 
He feels himself a part of that great life. He feels 
his identity with all of Life. He feels in touch with 
all of nature — in all its forms. In all forms of life 
he sees something of himself, and recognizes that 
each particular form of life has its correspendence in 
something within himself. This does not mean that 
he is blood-thirsty like the tiger; vain like the pea- 
cock; venomous like the serpent. But, still he feels 
that all the attributes of these animals are within 



92 ADVANCED COURSE. 

himself — mastered and governed by his higher self— 
but still there. And consequently he can feel for 
these animals, or for those of his race in which the 
animal characteristics are still in evidence. He pities 
them, but does not hate his brother however much 
that brother's traits may seem undesirable and hurtful 
to him. And he feels within himself all the attributes 
of the higher life as well as the lower, and he realizes 
that he is unfolding and growing into these higher 
forms, and that some day he will be like them. 

He feels the great throbbing life of which he is a 
part — and he feels it to be his life. The sense of sep- 
arateness is slipping from him. He feels the security 
that comes from this consciousness of his identity with 
the All Life, and consequently he cannot Fear. He 
faces to-day and to-morrow without fear, and marches 
forward toward the Divine Adventure with joy in 
his heart. He feels at home, for is not the Universe 
akin to him — is he not among his own? 

Such a consciousness divests one of Fear, and Hate, 
and Condemnation. It teaches one to be kind. It 
makes one realize the Fatherhood of God and the 
Brotherhood of Man. It substitutes a knowing for a 
blind belief. It makes man over, and starts him on 
a new stage of his journey, a changed being. 

No wonder that one in this Stage III is misunder- 
stood by Stage II people. No wonder that they often 
consider him to be a Stage I man because he fails 
to see "evil" in what seems so to them. No wonder 
that they marvel at his seeing "good" in things that 
do not appear so to them. He is like a stranger in a 



THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE. 93 

strange land, and must not complain if he be misjudged 
and misunderstood. But there are more and more of 
these people every year — they are coming in great 
quantities, and when they reach a sufficient number, 
this old earth will undergo a peaceful revolution. In 
that day man no longer will be content to enjoy lux- 
ury while his brother starves — he will not be able 
to oppress and exploit his own kind — he will not be 
able to endure much that to-day is passed over with- 
out thought and feeling by the majority of people. 
And why will he not be able to do these things? may 
be asked by some. Simply because the man who has 
experienced this new consciousness has broken down 
the old feeling of separateness, and his brother's pain 
is felt by him — his brother's joy is experienced by 
him — he is in touch with others. 

From whence comes this uneasiness that causes men 
to erect hospitals, and other charitable institutions — 
from whence comes this feeling of discomfort at the 
sight of suffering? From the Spiritual Mind that is 
causing the feeling of nearness to all of life to awaken 
in the mind of man, and thus renders it more and 
more painful for them to see and be aware of the 
pain of others — because they begin to feel it, and it 
renders them uncomfortable, and they make at least 
some effort to relieve it. The world is growing kinder 
by reason of this dawning consciousness, although it 
is still in a barbarous state as compared to its future 
condition when Stage III becomes more common. The 
race to-day confronts great changes — the thousand 
straws floating through the air show from which di- 



94 " ADVANCED COURSE. 

rection the wind is coming, and whither it is blowing. 
The breeze is just beginning to be felt — soon it will 
grow stronger, and then the gale will come which 
will sweep before it much that man has thought to be 
built for ages. And after the storm man will build 
better things — things that will endure. Have you 
not noticed the signs — have you not felt the breeze? 
But, mark you this — the final change will come not 
from Hate, Revenge, or other unworthy motives — it 
will come as the result of a great and growing Love 
— a feeling that will convince men that they are akin ; 
that the hurt of one is the hurt of all ; that the Joy of 
one is the joy of all — that all are One. Thus will 
come the dawn of the Golden Age. 

We may have appeared to have wandered from our 
text, but what we have said has a direct bearing upon 
the question of sowing after the reaping — of giving 
after the receiving — of working after the acquiring 
of new strength. The voice out of the silence will in- 
deed say to all of us : Go forth and labor in my vine- 
yard — labor not by strenuous effort, or by an attempt 
to force the growth of living things — thy work is 
best done by living — you are needed as leaven to 
lighten the mass. 

Here follows the next command from the little 

manual : 

Thou who are now a disciple, able to stand, able to hear, 
able to see, able to speak; who hast conquered desire, and 
attained to self-knowledge; who hast seen thy soul in its 
bloom, and recognized it, and heard the voice of the silence 
— go thou to the Hall of Learning, and read what is written 
there for thee. 



THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE. 95 

Let us also read the note following this command; 

it is very helpful : 

Note. — To be able to stand, is to have confidence; to be 
able to hear, is to have opened the doors of the soul; to 
be able to see, is to have obtained perception; to be able to 
speak, is to have attained the power of helping others; to 
have conquered desire, is to have learned how to use and 
control the self; to have attained to self-knowledge, is , to 
have retreated to the inner fortress from whence the personal 
man can be viewed with impartiality; to have seen thy soul 
in its bloom, is to have obtained a momentary glimpse in 
thyself of the transfiguration which shall eventually make 
thee more than man; to recognize, is to achieve the great 
task of gazing upon the blazing light without dropping the 
eyes, and not falling back in terror as though before some 
ghastly phantom. This happens to some; and so, when the 
victory is all but won, it is lost. To hear the voice of silence, 
is to understand that from within comes the only true guid- 
ance ; to go to the Hall of Learning, is to enter the state in 
which learning becomes possible. Then will many words be 
written there for thee, and written in fiery letters for thee 
easily to read. For, when the disciple is ready, the Master 
is ready also. 

The disciple is spoken of as one able to stand ; able 

to hear; able to see; able to speak. The conscious^ 

ness of the Real Self enables one to stand firmly upon 

his feet — causes him to feel the Majesty of Self. It 

enables him to hear the truth pouring in to him from 

the thousand channels of life, all claiming kinship 

with him, and willing and anxious to impart to him 

knowledge and truth. It enables him to see life as 

it is, in all its varied forms — to see his relation to 

the Whole and all of its parts, and to recognize the 

truth when it presents itself before him — it gives him 

the clear vision of the Spirit. It enables him to speak 

so that his words will reach others, even when he is 

unconscious of the fact- — he is possessed of that peace 

which passeth understanding, and his inward state 



g6 ADVANCED COURSE. 

finds utterance in his everyday speech, and he adds a 
little to the spiritual knowledge of the world. 

The manual tells the student who has conquered 
desire — that is, who has recognized desire for what it 
is, who has attained to the knowledge of the Self; 
who has seen his soul in its bloom, and recognized it, 
and heard the voice of the silence ; to proceed to the 
Hall of Learning, and read what is written there for 
him. The little note throws additional light on the 
passage which it follows. Its description of the sight 
of ''the soul in its bloom" is particularly interesting in 
view of what we have said in our last lesson — it re- 
fers to Illumination, or the dawn of spiritual con- 
sciousness — the flower that blooms in the silence 
that follows the storm. Well does its writer say that 
it is "to have obtained a momentary glimpse in thy- 
self of the transfiguration which shall eventually 
make thee more than man; to recognize is to achieve 
the great task of gazing upon the blazing light with- 
out dropping the eyes, and not falling back in terror 
as though before some ghastly phantom." Well has 
the writer added that "This happens to some; and 
so when the victory is all but won, it is lost." But 
she might have added, that it is only temporarily lost, 
for the memory will remain, and the soul will never 
rest satisfied until it regains that which it lost. Some 
who catch glimpses of their souls, shrink back in fright, 
and treat the matter as a delusion, or some "wicked 
thought." It upsets one's preconceived and conven- 
tional notions to such a degree, in some instances, 
that those experiencing it begin to be afraid that they 



THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE. 97 

are losing their virtue and goodness, because they 
cease to condemn and hate "evil" as of yore— they 
imagine that they are growing "bad," and retreat 
from the consciousness so far as they are able. They 
fail to perceive that although one may hate the "bad" 
things less, he loves the "good" things more than 
ever — that is the things which are known to be good 
by the Spiritual Mind, not the manufactured and 
artificial "good" things that pass current as the real 
article with the majority of people. 

The little note also truthfully tells us that "To hear 
the voice of the silence is to understand that from 
within comes the only true guidance." Remember these 
words — they are golden : "Understand that from 
within comes the only true guidance." If you can 
grasp the meaning of these words — and have the cour- 
age to trust and believe them, you are well started 
on the Path. If you will always live true to that little 
voice within, there will be but little need of teachers 
and preachers for you. And if we will but trust that 
little voice, its tones will become plainer and stronger, 
and we will hear it on many occasions. But if we 
turn a deaf ear to it and refuse to heed its warning 
and guidance, it will gradually grow fainter and 
fainter, until its voice is no longer distinguishable 
amidst the roar and bustle of the material world. 

The Hall of Learning is the state of consciousness 
which comes when the Spiritual Mind is allowed to 
flow freely into the conscious mind. Little by little 
the student is impressed with the truth, so gradually, 
often, that he scarcely realizes that it is advancing — ■ 
but he is continually progressing and unfolding, 



98 ADVANCED COURSE. 

The next four precepts are very important. Al- 
though intended for quite advanced students, much of 
their meaning may be grasped by those who have not 
attained so fully. We will try to make a little plainer 
these difficult passages. 

1. Stand aside in the coming battle; and, though thou 
tightest, be not thou the warrior. 

2. Look for the warrior, and let him fight in thee. 

3. Take his orders for battle, and obey them. 

4. Obey him, not as though he were a general, but as 
though he were thyself, and his spoken words were the ut- 
terance of thy secret desires; for he is thyself, yet infinitely 
wiser and stronger than thyself. Look for him, else, in 
the fever and hurry of the fight, thou mayest pass him; 
and he will not know thee unless thou knowest him. If thy 
cry reach his listening ear, then will he fight in thee, and 
fill the dull void within. And, if this is so, then canst thou 
go through the fight cool and unwearied, standing aside, and 
letting him battle for thee. Then it will be impossible for 
thee to strike one blow amiss. But if thou look not for him, 
if thou pass him by, then there is no safeguard for thee. 
Thy brain will reel, thy heart grow uncertain, and, in the 
dust of the battle-field, thy sight and senses will fail, and 
thou wilt not know thy friends from thy enemies. 

He is thyself; yet thou are but finite, and liable to error. 
He is eternal, and is sure. He is eternal truth. When once 
he has entered thee, and become thy warrior, he will never 
utterly desert thee; and, at the day of the great peace, he 
will become one with thee. 

These four precepts refer to the recognition of the 

Real Self — Spirit — which is within each soul, and 

which is constantly struggling to cast from itself ( when 

the time is ripe) each encumbering sheath of the lower 

self which is hindering and confining it. The precepts 

bid the soul to look within for the real source of 

strength — to be guided by it — to allow it to manifest 

freely through oneself — to be led by Spirit. When one 

has sufficiently freed oneself from the restrictions and 

confining bonds of the lower self, and is able to allow 



THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE. 99 

Spirit to flow freely and manifest with a minimum 
degree of resistance, then will Spirit act through him 
and work for him, and guide him. And even the less 
advanced soul may obtain the greatest benefit from 
opening up itself to the inflow of the divine principle, 
and allowing it to work through it. The man who 
is led by Spirit — who recognizes the existence of the 
Real Self, and trusts it — may live in a great measure 
apart from the turmoil and strife of the outer world. 
Not that he may withdraw from the world (for that 
is often cowardice), but he is able to take his place 
in the great game of Life, and to do his work there 
and do it well, and yet feel certain that while he is in 
it he is not of it. He is able practically to stand aside 
and see himself act. Spirit will guide him through 
the struggle, and will see that he is nourished and 
cared for, and will always act for his ultimate good. 
It will lead him to that which is best for him, and will 
attract to him that which he needs. Fear and unfaith 
are the great obstacles to this free working of Spirit, 
and until they are cast aside Spirit is hampered and 
hindered in its work. But when they are thrown 
aside Spirit will be free to do its work. 

The first precept : "Stand aside in the coming battle ; 
and though thou lightest, be thou not the warrior," 
states this truth distinctly. Note that the precept does 
not tell you to run away from the battle, or to hide 
yourself, or to seek seclusion. On the contrary, it 
distinctly assumes that you will fight. But it tells you 
to "stand aside" (that is for you, in your present con- 
sciousness to stand aside) and let the real self fight 



ioo ADVANCED COURSE. 

through you and for you. That is, to allow Spirit to 
lead you, and for you to be content with its leading. 

The second precept is akin to the first. It tells 
you to "Look for the warrior, and let him fight in 
thee." Look for him ; believe in him ; trust in him ; 
recognize him — and let him fight the battle for you. 

"Take his orders for battle, and obey them," says 
the third precept. If he places you in a certain ex- 
posed position, where the enemy's fire is concentrated 
upon you, and your retreat seems to be utterly cut 
off, fear not but obey orders implicitly, for there is 
a plan behind the orders, and you will in the end 
triumph. Question not the orders, nor their result, for 
they are given by a higher form of intelligence than 
your present consciousness, and have a distinct (and 
good) object in view. Spirit is moving for your ad- 
vancement, and though it brings you temporary pain 
and suffering, you will be a gainer in the end. And 
if you once grasp the meaning of it all, you will not 
feel the suffering and the pain as do others, for they 
will be seen to be only temporary and fleeting, and 
unreal, and you will lose sense of them in your knowl- 
edge of the greater thing coming to you through and 
by means of them. 

The fourth precept tells you further to "Obey him, 
not as though he were a general, but as though he 
were thyself, and his spoken words were the utter- 
ance of thy secret desires ; for he is thyself, yet in- 
finitely wiser and stronger than thyself." This ad- 
monition serves to warn us of the mistake of con- 
sidering Spirit as an outside entity-— a thing apart 



THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE. 101 

from ourself — and to remind us that it is our real self 
— ourself. Wiser and stronger than our present con- 
ception and consciousness of self, is Spirit, and we 
may trust it implicitly. 

"Look for him, else, in the fever and hurry of the 
fight, thou mayest pass him; and he will not know 
thee unless thou knowest him," continues the pre- 
cept, and the warning is worthy of note. In the midst 
of the fight we are most apt to forget that the Real 
Self is working through us, and, being excited and 
inflated by success, we may imagine that we (the con- 
scious self) are doing all the work, and may cease 
to look for the Spirit, and thus close the channel of 
communication. "And he will not know thee, unless 
thou knowest him." Unless you recognize Spirit 
within, Spirit will not be able to work through you as 
freely as would otherwise be the case. Unless you 
recognize the existence of Spirit, you cannot expect 
it to respond. Spirit's guidance is for those who de- 
sire it and look for it. 

"If thy cry reach his listening ear, then will he 
fight in thee, and fill the dull void within." Note 
the promise, and the statement that Spirit is listening 
— ever listening — for your call for help. When you 
become disheartened and discouraged — tired and worn 
from the fight — wounded and bleeding from the strug- 
gle — then cry to Spirit for help, and the listening ear 
will hear thee and will "fight in thee and fill the dull 
void within." He who opens himself up to Spirit no 
longer is conscious of the "dull void within" which 
has oppressed him for so long, 



102 ADVANCED COURSE. 

"And if this is so, then canst thou go through 
the fight and unwearied, standing aside, and letting 
him battle for thee." You will gain that feeling of 
calm content, knowing that thy warrior is invincible, 
and that the battle must be yours in the end. He 
who is conscious of Spirit working through him has 
indeed acquired "that peace which passeth understand- 
ing." 

"Then it will be impossible for thee to strike one 
blow amiss." True, indeed, for then every act and 
move is the act and movement of Spirit, and cannot 
be amiss or wrong. No matter how meaningless or 
mistaken the act or move may seem to the conscious 
mind, at the time, later on it will be recognized as 
having been the very best thing under the circum- 
stances. 

"But if thou look not for him, if thou pass him by, 
then there is no safeguard for thee. Thy brain will 
reel, thy heart grow uncertain, and, in the dust of the 
battle-field, thy sight and senses will fail, and thou 
will not know thy friends from thy enemies." Is not 
this the experience of all of us before we recognize 
and trust Spirit's guidance? Have we not gone 
through these things, and suffered and grieved be- 
cause we could see no light ; no hope ? Long have we 
cried aloud, demanding to know the reason of it all — 
demanding to be told what was truth ; what was right ; 
what was wrong. And no answer has come to us, 
until we threw off the confining bonds of the lower 
self, and allowed the pure rays of Spirit to pour into 
our souls, 



THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE. 103 

"He is thyself; yet thou are but finite, and liable 
to error. He is eternal, and is sure. He is eternal 
truth." The distinction between the lower, tempo- 
rary, consciousness of self, and the reality, is Here 
pointed out. The paradox of the self and the Self is 
here presented to you. Think well over it, and the 
truth will gradually reach you — and having reached 
you will never again depart from you, no matter how 
dim it may seem at times. 

"When once he has entered thee, and become thy 
warrior, he will never utterly desert thee." Woti 
derful promise. The consciousness of the existence 
of the Spirit within you, once obtained, is never en- 
tirely lost. Though you may learn to doubt it, as not 
having come through your ordinary senses, yet will 
the memory linger with you — and when it is most 
needed you will be able to recall the experience and 
again open yourself to the inflow of the divine wis- 
dom and power. 

"And, at the day of the great peace, he will be- 
come one with thee." In the time when sheath after 
sheath has been cast off and the flower of Spirit 
unfolds in full bloom — when man shall become more 
than man — then will the consciousness of the indi- 
vidual melt into the "knowing" of Spirit, and the soul 
will be at one with its highest principle. This will not 
be a surrender of individuality — but, on the contrary 
will be such an enlargement of individuality and con- 
sciousness as can scarcely be imagined by the greatest 
intellect of to-day. Then the great knowing, power, 
and joy, of which we have gained a faint glimpse dur- 



104 ADVANCED COURSE. 

ing the flash of illumination, will become a perma- 
nent consciousness with us. Then will we pass from 
the realms of the relative into the regions of the ab- 
solute. 

We come now to another group of four precepts. 
Let us consider them. 

5. Listen to the song of life. 

6. Store in your memory the melody you hear. 

7. Learn from it the lesson of harmony. 

8. You can stand upright now, firm as a rock amid the 
turmoil, obeying the warrior who is thyself and thy king. 
Unconcerned in the battle save to do his bidding, having no 
longer any care as to the result of the battle — for one thing 
only is important, that the warrior shall win; and you know 
he is incapable of defeat — standing thus, cool and awakened, 
use the hearing you have acquired by pain and by the de- 
struction of pain. Only fragments of the great song come 
to your ears while yet you are but man. But, if you listen 
to it, remember it faithfully, so that none which has reached 
you i9 lost, and endeavor to learn from it the meaning of 
the mystery which surrounds you. In time you will need no 
teacher. For as the individual has voice, so has that in which 
the individual exists. Life itself has speech and is never 
silent. And its utterance is not, as you that are deaf may 
suppose, a cry: it is a song. Learn from it that you are 
a part of the harmony; learn from it to obey the laws of the 
harmony. 

"Listen to the song of life." 

The note that is attached to this precept is so beau- 
tiful — so full of truth — so instructive — that we can 
find nothing to add to it, and we insert it in this place 
as the best possible explanation of the precept to 
which it is attached : 

Note. — Look for it, and listen to it, first in your own 
heart. At first you may say it is not there; when I search 
I find only discord. Look deeper. If again you are dis- 
appointed, pause, and look deeper again. There is a nat- 
ural melody, an obscure fount, in every human heart. It 
may be hidden over and utterly concealed and silenced — < 
but it is there. At the very base of your nature, you will 



THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE. 105 

find faith, hope and love. He that chooses evil refuses to 
look within himself, shuts his ears to the melody of his 
heart, as he blinds bis eyes to the light of his soul. He 
does this because he finds it easier to live in desires. But 
underneath all lif e is the strong current that cannot be checked ; 
the great waters are there in reality. Find them, and you will 
perceive that none, not the most wretched of creatures, but 
is a part of it, however he blind himself to the fact, and 
build up for himself a phantasmal outer form of horror. In 
that sense it is that I say to you: All those beings among 
whom you struggle on are fragments of the Divine. And so 
deceptive is the illusion in which yon live, that it is hard 
to guess where you will first detect the sweet voice in the 
hearts of others. But know that it is certainly within your- 
self. Look for it there and, once having heard it, you will 
more readily recognize it around you. 

The sixth precept: "Store in your memory the mel- 
ody you hear," and the seventh precept: "Learn from 
it the lesson of harmony," relate to the fifth precept 
and need no special explanation. 

The eighth precept is full of information. It starts 
with the assurance that you (now being open to the 
guidance of Spirit) can stand upright, firm as a rock 
amid the turmoil, obeying the warrior (Spirit), who 
is spoken of as being "thyself and thy king" (again 
a reference to the relative and the absolute relation). 

It speaks of the soul led by Spirit as being uncon- 
cerned in the battle, save to do his (Spirit's) bidding, 
and "having no longer any care as to the result cf 
the battle" (that is, caring nothing about the apparent 
result — the temporary defeats, pains, and trying cir- 
cumstances) — for only one thing is important and 
that is that Spirit should win, and win it must, for it 
is invincible, and incapable of defeat. The soul is 
spoken of as "standing thus, cool and awakened," and 
using the hearing which it has acquired by pain and 



106 ADVANCED COURSE. 

by the destruction of pain. This paradox of "pain 
and the destruction of pain" is interesting. One nec- 
essarily learns lessons from pain — many lessons may 
be learned in no other way — and yet after the true 
nature of pain is learned and fully impressed upon 
the mind, then pain no longer is pain — pain is de- 
stroyed, and another lesson is learned. And so the 
voice of the Spirit — the song of life — comes to the 
hearing which has been awakened both by pain and 
by the destruction of pain. 

"Only fragments of the great song come to your 
ears while you are but man.'" For when you reach the 
stage when you may listen to the grand volume of 
the divine song, then you are no longer man, but are 
something far higher in the scale of spiritual evolu- 
tion and life. But the mere fragments of the song 
are so far beyond any other human experience that the 
mere echo is worth living a life to hear. We are 
further told that "if you listen to it, remember it faith- 
fully, so that none which has reached you is lost, and 
endeavor to learn from it the meaning of the mystery 
which surrounds you," the voice of Spirit will beat 
upon your ears, so that, in spite of the material inter- 
ferences you will from time to time have borne in upon 
your consciousness bits of knowledge which will seem 
to come from another world. Light will be thrown 
gradually upon the great problems of existence, and 
veil after veil will be withdrawn. 

The precept then gives us the glad tidings that: 
"In time you will need no teacher. For as the indi- 
vidual has voice, so has that in which the individual 



THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE. 107 

exists. Life has speech and is never silent. And it 
is not, as you that are deaf may suppose, a cry ; it is 
a song. Learn from it that you are a part of the har- 
mony ; learn from it to obey the laws of the harmony." 
In time you will have passed beyond the need of a 
human teacher, for the light of Spirit will illuminate 
every object upon which you gaze, and the ears opened 
by Spirit will hear the lessons coming from every 
object in nature. In the stone; in the plant; in the 
mountain; in the tempest; in the sunshine; in the 
stars ; in all things high or low ; will you perceive that 
great throbbing intelligent life of which you are a part 
— and from them will you hear notes of the great 
song of life : "All is One ; All is One." As the pre- 
cept tells us, the sound from nature and nature's 
things, is not a cry, as many have supposed, but a 
great triumphant song — a song rejoicing in the flow 
of life of the singer, and vibrating in unison with the 
Absolute. "Learn from the song that you are a part 
of the harmony; learn from it to obey the law of the 
harmony." 

The next group of four precepts are along the same 
lines as those preceding: 

9. Regard earnestly all the life that surrounds you. 

10. Learn to look intelligently into the hearts of men. 

11. Eegard most earnestly your own heart. 

12. For through your own heart comes the one light 
which can illuminate life, and make it clear to your eyes. ^ 

Study the hearts of men, that you may know what is 
that world in which you live, and of which you will to be 
a part. Eegard the constantly changing and moving life 
which surrounds you, for it is formed by the hearts of men; 
and, as you learn to understand their constitution and mean- 
ing, you will by degrees be able to read the larger word of 
life. 



108 ADVANCED COURSE. 

The ninth precept : "Regard earnestly all the life 
that surrounds you," refers to that part of the subject 
mentioned by us in the preceding paragraph — the 
knowledge that comes to one by viewing nature by the 
light of the Spirit. 

The tenth precept tells you to "Learn to look intelli- 
gently into the hearts of men, that you may under- 
stand the world of men, that forms a part of the great 
world. By knowing men you will be able to help 
them, and will also learn many lessons that will aid 
you in your journey along the path. But take no- 
tice of what the little accompanying note says regard- 
ing this study of men. Here it is: 

Note. — From an absolutely impersonal point of view, oth- 
erwise your sight is colored. Therefore impersonality must 
first be understood. 

Intelligence is impartial; no man is your enemy, no man 
is your friend. All alike are your teachers. Your enemy 
becomes a mysteiy that must be solved, even though it take 
ages; for man must be understood. Your friend becomes a 
part of yourself, an extension of yourself, a riddle hard to 
read. Only one thing is more difficult to know — your own 
heart. Not until the bonds of personality are loosed, can 
that profound mystery of self begin to be seen. Not until 
you stand aside from it, will jt in any way reveal itself to 
your understanding. Then, and not till then, can you grasp 
and guide it. Then, and not till then, can you use all its 
powers, and devote them to a worthy service. 

The eleventh precept tells you to "Regard most 
earnestly your own heart." And the twelfth precept 
goes on to say : "For through your own heart comes 
the one light which can illuminate life, and make it 
clear to your eyes." In your own nature you will find 
all that is in the nature of other men — high and low 
— pure and foul — it is all there, the foul outlived, per- 
haps — the pure yet to be lived, perhaps — but all there. 



THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE. 109 

And if you would understand men, and their motives, 
and their doings, and their thoughts, look within, 
and you will understand other men better. But do 
not identify yourself with all the thoughts you may 
find in your heart. View them as would an outsider, 
look at them as you would upon objects in a case in 
a museum — useful to study but not to make a part 
of your life. And, remember this, that none of the 
things in your heart is good enough to use or master 
you — although many of them may be used by you to 
advantage. YOU are the master, and not the mas- 
tered — that is if you are a delivered soul. 

The thirteenth precept says that: "Speech comes 
only with knowledge. Attain to knowledge, and you 
will attain to speech." The little accompanying note 
is explanatory (in part) of this precept. We here- 
with print it: 

Note.— It is impossible to help others till you have obtained 
some certainty of your own. When you have learned the 
first twenty-one rules, and have entered the Hall of Learning 
with your powers developed and sense unchained, then you 
will find there is a fount within you from which speech 
will arise. 

Do not be worried if you anticipate being called upon 
to impart words of comfort and knowledge to others. 
You need not prepare yourself. The person will draw 
forth from you (through Spirit's guidance) just what 
is best for him or her. Fear not — have faith. 

We must come to an end. We have tried to explain, 
partially, the wonderful teachings of this little- man- 
uals- "Light 011 the Path," so that the beginner, per- 
haps, might be able to grasp the loose end of the 
teaching, and then gradually unwind the ball at his. 



no ADVANCED COURSE. 

leisure. The task has grown heavier, and the work 
less satisfactory, as the precepts passed before us. 
Words are finite — truth is infinite — and it is hard to 
even attempt to explain infinite truth in finite words. 
The thirteenth precept is the last one that we may 
consider. The remaining ones must be read alone by 
the student, with the light of the Spirit. They are only 
for those who have attained spiritual sight, and to such 
their meaning will be more or less plain, according to 
the degree of unfoldment which has come to the in- 
dividual. 

We feel that our task has been poorly executed, al- 
though many have written us that these lessons have 
opened their spiritual eyes, and that many things here- 
tofore very dark, are now seen plainly. We trust 
that this is indeed so, and that many more may ob- 
tain help and comfort from our words, although to 
us it seems that we have written nothing. And yet, 
we know that if these words had not some task as- 
signed to them — if they were not intended to form a 
part of the great work, they never would have been 
written. So we send them forth to go where they 
will, without a full knowledge on our part of their 
destination. Perhaps some into whose hands they 
may fall may understand better than do we why 
they were written and sent forth. They were pro- 
duced at the dictates of Spirit — let Spirit attend to 
the placing of them where they are called for. 

In our following lessons we will take up other 
phases of occultism which may be of interest and 
profit to our students. But before leaving the beau- 
tiful precepts and teachings of "Light on the Path/' 



THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE. in 

let us urge upon our students the importance of that 
little manual. It contains within its pages the great- 
est amount of high spiritual teaching ever combined 
into so small a space. Let not the student imagine that 
he has mastered it, because he seems to understand its 
general teachings. Let him read it again a little later 
on, and he will see new beauties in it. We have never 
met a student — no matter how highly developed — who 
could not learn something from the little manual. Its 
teachings are capable of being interpreted in many 
different ways, for it portrays the experiences of the 
soul as it journeys along the path. You will remem- 
ber that the upward ascent is along the spiral path, and 
the soul goes around and around but ever mounting 
higher. One may think he grasps the meaning of the 
first precepts of the little manual, but as he again 
reaches a certain point, just one round higher, he may 
again take up the first precepts and find in them new 
meaning suitable for his newly discovered needs. And 
so on, and so on. Not only is there spiritual progres- 
sion along spiral lines extending over ages, but in 
each life-time there is a spiral path to be mounted, 
as will be apparent to all of us who will stop to consider 
the matter. The soul which has not found the en- 
trance to the path, seems to go around and around in 
a circle, traveling over the same ground, and making 
no real progress. But once it discovers the little path 
which enters the circle at one of its points, and takes 
steps thereon, it finds that while it still goes around 
and around, it is really traveling the spiral, and is 
mounting one round higher with each turn. And we 
know of no little book so helpful on the journey as 
this little manual — "Light on the Path," 



ii2 ADVANCED COURSE. 

We trust that we may be pardoned for inserting in 
this lesson the following words from our introduc- 
tion to the little manual in question. They are as ap- 
propriate at the close of this lesson as at the begin- 
ning of the little book : 

The treatise, "Light on the Path," is a classic among 
occultists, and is the best guide known for those who have 
taken the first step on the Path of Attainment. Its writer 
has veiled the meaning of the rules in the way always cus- 
tomary to mystics, so that to the one who has no grasp on 
the Truth these pages will probably appear to be a mass of 
contradictions and practically devoid of sense. But to the 
one to whom a glimpse of the inner life has been given, 
these pages will be a treasury of the rarest jewels, and each 
time he opens it he will see new gems. To many this little 
book will be the first revelation of that which they have 
been all their lives blindly seeking. To many it will be the 
first bit of spiritual bread given to satisfy the hunger of the 
soul. To many it will be the first cup of water from the 
spring of life, given to quench the thirst which has consumed 
them. Those for whom this book is intended will recognize 
its message, and after reading it they will never be the 
same as before it came to them. As the poet has said: 
"Where I pass all my children know me," and so will the 
Children of the Light recognize this book as for them. As 
for the others, we can only say that they will in time be 
ready for this great message. The book is intended to sym- 
bolize the successive steps of the neophyte in occultism as he 
progresses in the lodge work. The rules are practically 
those which were given to the neophytes in the great lodge 
of the Brotherhood in ancient Egypt, and which for genera- 
tions have been taught by guru to chela in India. The 
peculiarity of the rules herein laid down, is that their inner 
meaning unfolds as the student progresses on The Path. 
Some will be able to understand a number of these rules, 
while others will see but dimly even the first steps. The 
student, however, will find that when he has firmly planted 
his foot on one of these steps, he will find the one just ahead 
becoming dimly illuminated, so as to give him confidence to 
take the next step. Let none be discouraged ; the fact that 
this book attracts you is the message to you that it is intended 
for you, and will in time unfold its meaning. Bead it over 
and over often, and you will find veil after veil lifted, though 
veil upon veil still remains between you and the Absolute. 



LESSON V. 

Karma Yoga. 

The Yogi Philosophy teaches that while there is 
but one goal for true human endeavor — one end to be 
sought — still there are different paths to that goal, 
each path best suited to the particular temperament 
of the individual. Temperament, of course, is not the 
result of accident or chance, but is the result of the 
particular development of the soul in its evolution, 
and represents the particular line of thought (and 
resulting action) which has been pursued by the soul 
in its development. It is a very real thing at each 
stage of unfoldment, and forms the line of least re- 
sistance for the individual. And, so, the Yogis teach 
that the particular path best adapted to the require- 
ments of the temperament and tastes — that is, to the 
desires — of each individual soul, is the one for him to 
follow. They divide the Path of Attainment into three 
sub-paths leading up to the main road. They call the 
three paths (i) Raja Yoga, (2) Karma Yoga, (3) 
Gnani Yoga; each of these forms of Yoga being a 
path leading to the great read, and each fit to be trav- 
eled by those who may prefer it — but all leading to 
the same place. 

Raja Yoga is the path followed by those who feel 
inclined to develop the powers latent in Man — the 
gaining of the control of the mental faculties by the 
Will — the attainment of the mastery of the lower 
self— the development of the mind, to the end that 

113 



H4 ADVANCED COURSE. 

the soul may be aided in its unfoldment. Karma 
Yoga is the Yoga of work — the path of action. Gnani 
Yoga is the Yoga of Wisdom. In addition to the 
above mentioned three forms of Yoga, there is that 
which is known as "Bhakti Yogi," or the Yoga of 
devotion — the path of religious feeling. Some writers 
treat this path as if it were distinct from the others — 
a separate path — but we prefer thinking and teaching 
that it is merely an incident of each of the three paths, 
as we cannot conceive of any student of Yoga divorc- 
ing his work from the love and devotion to the Abso- 
lute — to God. We fail to see how one may follow 
any of the several Yoga paths without being filled 
with love and reverence for the great centre of all 
life. In these lessons we will speak of Bhakti Yogi 
separately, but we wish to be understood that we do 
not consider it a separate thing, but feel that the stu- 
dent of any, or all, of the forms of Yogi must com- 
bine Bhakti Yogi with his favorite form of study. 
In this lesson we will take up the branch of the 
subject known as "Karma Yoga" — the Yoga of ac- 
tion — of work. But we must explain that although 
the necessities and tendencies of the student may 
make this path the more attractive to him, still he 
may take a keen interest in the other forms of Yogi, 
such as Gnani Yoga, Raja Yoga, etc. And the stu- 
dents of these other branches must not overlook- 
Karma Yoga as being beneath their notice, for it is 
a matter which concerns their daily life, and in this 
Western world where nearly all men live a life of 



KARMA YOGA. 115 

action, the student must combine the principles of 
Karma Yoga with his other studies. 

This lesson will be devoted to Karma Yoga. The 
next lesson will take up the subject of Gnani Yoga. 
The one following Gnani Yoga will take up that 
branch of the subject known as Bhakti Yoga. We 
will not touch upon Raja Yoga in these lessons, as 
we are now preparing a separate book upon that 
branch of Yoga. 

Before considering Karma Yoga it may be well 
for us to take a general view of the subject of Yoga. 
What is the end and aim of the teachings and the 
practices? What does it all mean? What is Man 
seeking for in all these endeavors? What does life, 
and growth, and development, and evolution mean? 
These are questions that thinking people are con- 
stantly asking, and which but few are able to answer 
even partially. 

The Yogi Philosophy teaches that the end of all 
human endeavor and life is to allow the soul to unfold 
until it reaches union with Spirit. And as Spirit is 
the divine part of man — the bit of God-material in 
him — this union eventually will result in what is known 
as Union with God — that is the bringing of the indi- 
vidual soul into conscious touch and union with the 
centre of all life. 

Some may think and teach that the end of human 
life is happiness, and this is true if they mean the 
real happiness of the soul — the only true happiness. 
But if they mean the relative and transitory thing 
usually called "happiness," they quickly find that they 



n6 ADVANCED COURSE. 

are pursuing a "will-o'-the-wisp," that constantly re- 
cedes as they approach it. True happiness is not to 
be found in relative things, for these turn to ashes 
like Dead Sea fruit, the moment we reach out to 
grasp them. We may find a certain amount of happi- 
ness in the pursuit of things, but when we pluck the 
fruit it withers. No matter how high may be the 
thing pursued in the chase for happiness, the result 
is the same. Relative things cannot help being rela- 
tive and consequently fade away. They are crea- 
tures of time and space and while they serve their pur- 
poses they cannot live beyond their time. They are 
mortal, and like all mortal things must die. Only the 
absolute thing remains unchanged, and is deathless. 
And all this struggle, and pain, and life, and ef- 
fort, really is directed toward the unfoldment of the 
soul that it may recognize its real self. This is what 
it all means. This is why we pursue first this thing 
and then that thing, thinking that we need them, only 
to find out that we need them not. We feel a hunger 
that cannot be appeased — a thirst that will not be 
quenched. And we try all the experience of life, 
sometimes feverishly and eagerly, sometimes listlessly 
and sluggishly, but find them all to be shadows and 
unrealities. But the hunger and thirst still remain, 
and torment us to further efforts. And this will be 
so always, until we learn that the thing we desire 
is within us, instead of outside of us — and when we 
learn this lesson, even faintly, we begin to seek intel- 
ligently and are changed beings. This is the mean- 
ing of life — of evolution. 



KARMA YOGA. 117 

The great majority of the race is engaged in this 
pursuit of happiness in a blind, unconscious fashion. 
They run hither and thither, trying one thing after an- 
other hoping to find that intangible something that 
they instinctively feel will bring them peace and hap- 
piness. And, although meeting with repeated disap- 
pointments, they keep up the search with unabated 
zeal, being impelled thereto by the unfolding soul cry- 
ing for that which is necessary to it. As the soul 
awakens and unfolds, through experience after ex- 
perience, it gradually obtains an intelligent and con- 
scious conception of the true nature of that for which 
it seeks, and thereafter it follows only the roads which 
lead to the thing so long sought after, but so recently 
known to be the sought-after thing. 

Many Western seekers after truth have complained 
that the philosophies of the East were not adapted 
to the needs and requirements of the West- 
ern student, as the conditions of life were so 
different in the two parts of the world. This 
objection, if it were sustained, would be positive proof 
that the teachings of the East were not sound and 
true, for any true and sound teaching and philosophy 
must be applicable to all sorts and conditions of men, 
irrespective of race, climate, country, occupation, sur- 
roundings or environment. If the teachings are not 
fitted for the wants of every soul they are unsound, 
and must be discarded. Even the lowliest, humblest 
and vilest of the race must be taken into consideration, 
or the teachings fall short of being the truth. For 
even that lowly individual, as well as the most exalted 



n8 ADVANCED COURSE. 

(in the world's estimation) form part of the race, 
and are under the law and cannot be left out. 

The trouble with these objecting Western students 
is that they have considered the Eastern teachings to 
be fit only for those who could spend their life in 
dreaming, meditating, and in seclusion far away from 
the busy world. But this is a great mistake. It is 
true that some Eastern students follow this retired 
life, and obtain great results therefrom — this is their 
Karma — the result of desire and tendencies acquired 
in their past lives. But no true Yogi would think of 
teaching that this plan was the only one — or even the 
best one for all students. On the contrary, he recog- 
nizes that even in the East a life of activity is right 
and proper for those who are thrown into it, and 
that to shirk its duties or run away is a violation of the 
great law. This being so, it follows that the intense 
activity of the Western races (all of which 'is in ac- 
cordance with well established laws, and a distinct 
and well understood stage of evolution) renders seclu- 
sion and retirement literally impossible for thousands 
of earnest students, who must follow the path or plan 
called for by their Karma. And they gladly point 
out to such students the beauties and advantages of 
that branch of their philosophy known as "Karma 
Yoga," which we take up in this lesson. 

The word "Karma" comes from the Sanscrit word 
"Kri," meaning "to do"; "to act." "Karma" is more 
frequently used to designate what may be called the 
"effect of actions." In our "Fourteen Lessons" we 
have considered the Eastern teachings of Karma., un- 



KARMA YOGA. 119 

der the chapter entitled "Spiritual Cause and Effect." 
In that chapter we gave you a brief description of 
the law of cause and effect in the spiritual world — 
how the effects of actions follow actions, just as ac- 
tions follow thoughts. The real effect of actions is 
really the effect of thoughts, as actions result from 
thoughts. 

We are what we are today, simply because we 
have done, or left undone, certain things in our past 
lives. We have had certain desires, and have acted 
upon them, and the result is manifested today. We 
do not mean that we are literally being "punished" 
because we have done certain things in the past — 
for punishment (as such) forms no part of the law. 
But we have desired to do certain things, and have 
done them so far as we were able, and the inevitable 
results came in their train. We put our fingers into 
the fire and we are now nursing the burn — that's all. 
These things that we did in the past were not neces- 
sarily "bad" things. We merely may have become un- 
duly attached to certain things, and our attachment 
and desires have brought upon us certain effects, 
which effects, while perhaps more or less unpleasant 
and painful, are good because they teach us that we 
do not want the thing we had sought, and we will 
not make the same mistake again. Moreover, once 
we have had our eyes opened so that we understand 
the nature of our trouble, the smart of the burns de- 
creases and the hurt fades away. 

This spiritual law of cause and effect is known in 
the East as "Karma." When the Eastern students 



120 ADVANCED COURSE. 

speak of one's ''Karma," they mean that which has come 
to the person in pursuance of that law, or that which 
is attached to him by its operations. Everyone has 
generated" Karma, the effects of which are manifest- 
ing constantly. There is no reason why we should 
feel frightened or disturbed at this knowledge. A 
realization of the truth enables us to live out our 
Karma with the minimum degree of pain and trouble, 
and also prevents us from acquiring new undesirable 
Karma. Our Karma may be pleasant, or unpleasant, 
according to the causes we have set into operation, or 
they may be made pleasant or unpleasant by our 
mental attitude toward them. The philosopher may 
transmute "bad" Karma into "good" by refusing to 
see the "bad" in it, and the ignorant person may find 
fault with the best of Karma. 

Many students of the Eastern philosophies seem to 
regard this law of Spiritual Cause and Effect — Karma 
— as a system of punishment decreed, regulated and 
administered by the spiritual powers that be. This is 
erroneous. While Karma often does act as a pun- 
ishment — that is, as an equalizing and deterring factor 
— yet there is no element of revenge in it — no plan of 
Divine "getting even." It is simply cause and effect. 
It is difficult to explain just what we mean, without 
giving specific examples, which plan is almost impos- 
sible in a work of this kind. We may say, however, 
that one who is possessed with a desire for power, 
which desire he constantly nourishes and feeds with 
selfish thoughts, is sure to become involved in a se- 
quence of causes and effects which may cause him 



KARMA YOGA. 121 

the greatest pain and suffering, physical or mental. 
He may attain his desire, sooner or later, if his desire 
be sufficiently strong and persistent, but he is very apt 
to suffer from unsatisfied longings which have been 
smothered out by the over-ruling passion. He may 
gain his prize at the cost of all else dear to him. Or, 
his desire not being so strong as a like desire in 
some other minds, he may not attain his goal, but will 
be ground to pieces in the great mental or psychic 
machinery which he has helped to set into motion, 
and into which he is irresistibly drawn. When a 
man has a keen desire for the fruit of some action, he 
is very likely to start into motion (in connection with 
others) certain psychic machinery, which either may 
work to his advantage, or else may grind him to pieces;, 
according to the circumstances of the case, his strength 
of purpose, or his mental powers. Men are often 
blown up by their own bombs, or consumed in fires of 
their own starting. They get "mixed into things" and 
often suffer from that course. 

Even those who attain that for which they have 
been seeking (either in this life or in some future 
one) may be greatly disappointed and may find life a 
curse. The autocratic ruler may suffer untold mental 
agonies, and the multi-millionaire may be more un- 
happy than the beggar at his gates. But, not only is 
this so, but those who have entered the race, and have 
not been able to keep up with the winners, are tossed 
about, pushed, thrown down and trampled upon, and 
otherwise hurt, because they have entered the race. 
They not only suffer from disappointment, but are 



122 ADVANCED COURSE. 

hurt besides. We recall a man who started to hate 
certain persons — hated them bitterly — tried to injure 
them in every possible way. The result was that he 
entangled himself in the psychic machinery of hate 
which is in full operation in the world, and before long 
brought upon himself the hatred and enmity of hun- 
dreds of other persons, and was hurt in mind and 
purse, and suffered great agony and mental torture. 
Of those whom he had started to hate, he succeeded 
in hurting only one person, and that person was a 
man also living on the "hate plane" of thought, who 
naturally attracted to himself thoughts and actions 
of like nature. But the lesson was a valuable one to 
the first mentioned man, for his eyes were opened to 
the folly and consequences of hate, and thereafter he 
refused to allow himself to become entangled in its 
net. Those who play the game of hate must not com- 
plain if they are hurt. Those who are entangled in 
the machinery of greed must not complain if they suf- 
fer from some shrewder person on the same plane. 
Those who pin their lives upon some material object, 
must not wonder if they suffer pain through the per- 
son or thing to whom they attach themselves so closely. 
"But," one may say, "how am I to escape these 
things if I am in the active world at all? How may 
I escape the effects of actions ?" The Yogi Philosophy 
answers: "By taking part in the great game of life. 
— by going through its motions — by doing the best 
thing possible for you — but all the time remembering 
that you do not allow yourself to become attached to 
the fruits of the work. Work for work's sake — do 



KARMA YOGA. 123 

your part in the world gladly, cheerfully, willingly 
and heartily, but realize that the fruits are as naught 
in the end, and laugh at the thought that these rela- 
tive things have any real value to you/' To a consid- 
eration of this answer, we will devote the remainder 
of this lesson. We trust that we shall be able to 
show you that this advice, as impracticable and dif- 
ficult as it may seem at first sight, is not only prac- 
ticable to the most strenuous business worker of the lot' 
but is the only true plan of life. This old Eastern 
Wisdom seems to be particularly adapted to the re- 
quirements of the busy Western world at this time, 
although, on the surface, it may seem to fly in the 
face of modern progress. 

But, at this place, we must remind the student that 
these teachings will be accepted by only a few of 
the race. The great majority of people are too much 
infatuated with the present condition of things — the 
pulling down, and climbing over the dead bodies of 
their brothers — the cannibalism and savagery of mod- 
ern industrial and commercial life — to follow any other 
course. This being so, they will continue to eat and 
be eaten — kill and be killed — crush down and be 
crushed down — hate and be hated. And those who 
deal out these things to others — and who take a de- 
light in them — bring themselves under the operation 
of the law of cause and effect to such an extent that 
they become enmeshed in the machinery, and often get 
ground up while expecting to aid in the tearing apart 
of others. 



124 ADVANCED COURSE. 

The few who are ready for the teaching's, will un- 
derstand what we mean and will be able to stand 
aside and see themselves fight and struggle in the 
rush, while their soul stands apart from the fray. 
They will live the same life and do the same things 
as their undeveloped brothers — that is, apparently — 
but they will know the truth and keep themselves free 
from being drawn into the machinery, or entangled 
in the nets. 

We are asked frequently, "What would become of 
things if every one were to follow your teachings?" 
We might answer that the whole structure of modern 
life would fall to pieces, to be succeeded by something 
infinitely better. But there is no need for this an- 
swer, because there is no likelihood of the majority 
of the race accepting these teachings in the near fu- 
ture. A greater number are accepting them every 
day, but at the best, those who accept and live them 
will be but a handful in the crowd of those who live 
and act. Many years of struggle, and trial — en- 
deavor and experiment — must come before the race, as 
a whole, is ready to take even the first step toward 
improvement. We say this, not in sadness, but phil- 
osophically, knowing that all the struggle and pain is a 
necessary part of the evolution of the race. (When 
we speak of "these teachings" we do not refer to the 
particular presentation of the truth given thro'ugh us, 
but to the various forms of these teachings which are 
being given through hundreds of teachers of the va- 
rious schools at this time.) 



KARMA YOGA. 125 

One of the first things to be learned by the Karma 
Yogi is that he is a unit in the whole machinery or 
plan of life. He has his place and must take his part 
in the work. But, no matter how important his po- 
sition — or how responsible a place he is called upon 
to fill — he is but a unit in the plan, and must be 
willing to be used in accordance with that plan. And 
however lowly or unimportant he may seem to be, 
he is still a unit having a purpose and work. Noth- 
ing is unimportant, and the most important is still 
subject to the law underlying the plan. We must 
all play our parts — play them well — not only because 
we are working out our own development and evo- 
lution, but also because we are being used by the Di- 
vine Mind as a pawn, or higher piece, in the great 
game of life. Not that we are mere automatons — far 
from that — but that our interests are bound up with 
that of the race, and we touch all mankind at some 
point. We must be perfectly willing to be so used, 
and we will find that the willingness prevents friction 
and pain. It is difficult to express this point as clearly 
as we would like to do, but we trust that our meaning 
will be made clear as we proceed. 

Our lives are not merely for the development of our 
individuality, but we are needed to play upon and be 
played upon by other individualities, that the entire 
race be assisted in its upward trend. A certain piece 
of work may seem to us to be useless as a part of our 
own development, but that particular bit of work is 
evidently needed in some part of the great plan and 
we should perform our part willingly. Every move 



126 ADVANCED COURSE. 

and position has a meaning, just as a move in a game 
of chess apparently may be devoid of meaning and 
purpose, but, later in the game, it will be seen to have 
been the first move in a great plan. And, so the true 
Karma Yogi allows himself to be moved by the Spirit 
without complaint, knowing that all will be well with 
him, and that the move is needed to effect certain 
combinations or changes in the great game of life be- 
ing played by all men. Those who do not understand 
this secret of the inner workings of the game, generally 
rebel and set up resistance to these enforced moves, 
and thereby cause themselves great pain and suffering 
from the friction — the resistence causes a forcible move 
— while the awakened soul, seeing things as they are, 
smiles and allows itself to be moved, and consequently 
escapes the pain, and generally reaps a positive bene- 
fit from the change, although it does not expect such 
benefit as a reward. It simply recognizes the Master 
Hand making the move, willingly allows itself to 
be moved to another square, and used to effect a new 
combination. 

This is not a mere dream of transcendental philoso- 
phy. It would surprise many of you to be told that 
some of the leading figures in every branch of human 
effort recognize this force behind them, and have 
learned to trust to it. Let us give you the testimony 
of a very prominent man — one whose name is known 
all over the world as a great leader and "master of 
circumstances." He has no knowledge of the Eastern 
teachings (or, had not at the time of the following 
statement), but several years ago he confided the fol- 



KARMA YOGA. 127 

lowing information to a friend of his, who repeated 
it to us. This "captain of industry'" said : "The pub- 
lic give me credit with being a most strenuous char- 
acter, and as planning a long way ahead some won- 
derful combinations and schemes. They are quite 
wrong. I plan very little ahead, in fact, often see 
no more than one step at a time, although the general 
plan seems to be stored away somewhere in my mind. 
I feel that to a great extent I am merely a pawn in 
a great game of chess, and am being used by some 
great power as a means of working some great changes 
in things and men, although I am ignorant of what 
these changes are. I do not feel that I am favored 
by Providence for any special good in me, for, with- 
out mock modesty, I may truthfully say that I feel 
that I do not deserve any special reward, for I am no 
better or wiser than my fellows. I cannot help feel- 
ing, at times, that the things I do are done for some 
other people, possibly the race, although many of my 
acts, or rather the results of my acts may seem in 
the direction of working injury to the public at large. 
I get no special pleasure from my money, although 
I feel a keen interest in the game of making it, for 
the time being, and when a thing is accomplished 
I feel like flinging it away like a wornout toy. I do 
not know what it all means, to be sure, but am sure 
it means something. Some day, perhaps, I may be 
stripped of my possessions, but I feel that even if that 
happens I will be given something that will repay 
me for my apparent loss. I noticed this thing earlv 
in life, and I soon learned to be "led" or moved by it 



128 ADVANCED COURSE. 

whatever it is. When I resisted, I found that I was 
hurt somehow, but that when I allowed myself to 
be moved without resistance, I was successful. Some- 
times I laugh to see how the public regard my "achieve- 
ments" when really I have been merely a checker-man 
or pawn in some great game, the mover of which I 
do not know, and of whom I have no reason to be- 
lieve myself a special favorite." 

This man, unconsciously, stumbled upon one of the 
principles of "Karma Yoga" — that principle which is 
known as "The Secret of Work." He cares little for 
results — for the fruits of his work — although he feels 
a keen interest in the game while it is being played. 
He does not seem to be "attached" to the fruits of his 
work, although this is not apparent to those who view 
him from a distance. He feels that he is a cog in 
the great machinery, and is willing to play his part. 
Many of the things he does, or apparently does (the 
doing is really done by many men, whose interests con- 
flicting and agreeing, focus upon him) bear hard upon 
many of the race, but close observers see that he, and 
others of his kind, are unconsciously paving the way 
for the great economic changes that are coming to 
the race, and which are based upon a dawning con- 
sciousness of the Brotherhood of Man. We do not 
hold out this man as an illustration of a Karma Yogi 
— he is not that, because he lives the life unconsciously 
and without understanding, while the Karma Yogi is 
fully conscious of what it all means and understand? 
the causes behind it. We merely cite this case as an 
illustration of its common occurrence. Manv others 



KARMA YOGA. 129 

in all walks of life are practicing some of the prin- 
ciples of Karma Yoga more or less unconsciously. 
They speak of taking life "philosophically," by which 
they mean they are not allowing themselves to become 
"attached," or to take too seriously the fruits of 
their labors, attained or anticipated. They work, more 
or less, from a love of work — "work for work's sake" 
— they like to be "doing things," and take a pleasure 
in the game of life, that is, in the game itself rather 
than in its prizes. They play the game — play it well 
— play it with a zest — take an interest in its workings 
and details. But as for the trumpery prizes that are 
to be awarded to the winners, they want none of them, 
let those who value those things have them, the sreal 
player has outgrown such childishness. ... ,, 

Fame, position, prestige, the world's cheap favOrs 
are despised by the strong men — they see them as the 
baubles that they are. They leave such things for the 
children. They may allow the prize ribbon to be 
pinned to their coats, but in their hearts they smile at 
it. The other players in the game may not detect this 
inner consciousness, and to all intents and purposes 
the awakened player may be like those around him — 
but he knows,, and they know not. 

"The Secret of Work" — non-attachment — is the key- 
note of Karma Yoga. Non-attachment does not mean 
that the student of such should repress all enjoyment. 
On the contrary, it teaches that this principle, if faith- 
fully followed, will cause one to enjoy everything. 
Instead of taking away his pleasure, it will multiply it 
a thousand-fold, The difference lies in the fact that 



130 ADVANCED COURSE, 

the attached man believes that his happiness depends 
upon certain things or persons, while the freed man 
realizes that his happiness comes from within and 
not from any outside thing, and he, therefore, is able 
to convert into pleasure-producing things, circum- 
stances which otherwise would cause dissatisfaction 
and even pain. So long as one is tied or attached to 
any particular person or thing, so that his happiness 
seems dependent thereon, he is a slave of that person 
or thing. But when he frees himself from the en- 
tangling influences, he is his own master, and has 
within himself an unfailing source of happiness. This 
does not mean that we should not love others — on the 
contrary we should manifest abundant love, but the 
love must not be selfish — but we will speak of that 
phase of the subject a little later on. 

To the man living the attached life, the Karma 
Yoga plan may seem foolish, and likely to result in 
failure or half-hearted effort. In this view he is 
wrong. Who is apt to do the best work in a shop, 
office, or workroom — the man who works merely for 
his wage, and who keeps his eye on the clock in order 
that he may not give a minute overtime, or the man 
who, while looking to his occupation to furnish him 
with a comfortable livelihood, is so interested and in 
love with his work that he almost forgets that he is 
working for money, and during certain hours, but 
is fairly carried away with his task? Many such 
workers exist, and they are practicing a form of Karma 
Yoga, although they know it not. The best work of 
the world is produced by men who take an interest 



KARMA YOGA. 13I 

in their tasks, and do not go through the motions of 
work simply to earn their wage. The instinct that 
causes the artist to paint a great picture — the writer 
to produce a great book — the musician to compose a 
great work — will cause a man to make a success of 
any line of work. It is work for work's sake — work 
for the joy of the worker. All great work is produced 
in this way. 

To many the mystic is regarded as a visionary per- 
son, unfit for the work of the world — a mere dreamer 
— a weaver of idle speculations. But those who have 
looked beneath the surface, realize that the "practical 
mystic" is a man to be reckoned with in any branch 
of human endeavor. His very non-attachment gives 
him a strength that the attached man lacks. The mys- 
tic is not afraid — he is daring — he knows that his 
happiness and success depends upon no particular com- 
bination, and that he will emerge safe and sound from 
the most unpromising combination of circumstances. 
He feels that he is standing on solid rock — that he 
has the power of the Universe back of him. This 
gives him a strength and courage unknown to the 
man who stakes his entire happiness upon the suc- 
cess of some particular thing, and who feels that he is 
doomed to despair if that thing does not succeed. 
The unattached man allows the stream of life to play 
upon him, and through him, and takes a fierce joy in 
being a part of it all. He goes out into a crowded 
thoroughfare, and sees the movement of the people, 
and feels it all to be a part of himself — he feels him- 
self as a part of it all, He is conscious of the activity, 



132 ADVANCED COURSE. 

growth and motion of the mass of people, and enjoys 
it all. He is not afraid, for he knows what it all 
means. He is moved from one sphere of activity to 
another, and knows it to be the work of the forces 
behind him, which are friendly to him. He works 
away, from the very joy of it, and takes the keenest 
interest in the masterful performance of his task. 
And, because of this he does the best of work. But 
for the results of the work — that is, for the reward 
and praise — he cares nothing. He can turn to an- 
other task with equal pleasure, and forget all about 
the one just completed. He is not attached to it — it 
has not entangled him in its meshes. 

Such a man is sure to draw a proper support from 
his work — it comes to him as his right. Those who 
have mastered Karma Yoga, while not caring for the 
vanities and show of life, nevertheless find themselves 
supplied with a recompense sufficient to supply their 
wants and to render them comfortable. Of course 
their wants are comparatively few — their tastes are 
always simple, and manifest in the desire for fewer 
things but better ones — but they draw their means 
of support to them as the tree or plant draws nourish- 
ment from the soil, water and air. They do not pur- 
sue wealth any more than they pursue happiness, and 
yet happiness comes to them unasked, and the means 
of support are found at their hand. The man who 
has freed himself from the entanglements of the ma- 
terial life, finds a keen joy in the mere living, that 
the attached man never finds even in his most suc- 
cessful moments, 



KARMA YOGA. 133 

Anything, if sought as the expected source of hap- 
piness, when finally found is seen to carry in its bosom 
the sting of pain. But if one ceases to look upon the 
thing as the source of happiness, and regards it as 
simply one of the incidents and accompaniments of 
life, then the poison is neutralized and the sting is 
blunted. If one looks to Fame as the thing that will 
bring the long sought for happiness, he will find when 
he becomes famous that his success has brought with 
it many painful things that will kill the joy of his at- 
tainment. But to the one who is freed and who works 
for the love of work without allowing himself to 
be attached, Fame may come as an incident and its 
pain will not be in evidence. 

Many things to which men devote their entire lives 
bring more pain than happiness. And this simply 
because men look to the thing for happiness instead of 
to themselves. The moment one pins his chance of 
happiness to an outside thing or person, he opens the 
door to pain and unhappiness. For no outside person 
or thing can satisfy the longings of the soul, and the 
disappointment which will come — and which must 
come, of necessity — from such dependence upon person 
or thing, causes pain and sorrow instead of the ex- 
pected happiness. 

Even Love, that noble emotion, is the source of pain 
to the attached person. The Yogi Philosophy preaches 
the doctrine of Love — more Love — still more Love. 
And yet it also teaches that when Love is selfish it 
brings pain in its train. When we say we love a 
person, we usually mean that we wish that person to 



134 ADVANCED COURSE. 

love us, and are unhappy if that Love is denied. True 
love is not like this. Unselfish love flows out toward 
the loved one, and asks nothing in return. Its joy 
lies in the happiness of the loved one, rather than in 
the selfish demand for a return of the love. True 
love is constantly saying to itself, "Give, give, give," 
while the selfish, material love is continually demand- 
ing of the other person "Give, give, give to me." True 
love radiates like the sunlight, while selfish love would 
draw to itself like the whirlpool. 

If one loves another in such a way that if the oth- 
er's love be withdrawn all happiness will fade out of 
life, then that first person is the slave of circumstances 
— slave of the other's emotions or passions. He is at- 
tached in such a way that he must suffer the pain 
of disappointment, neglect or change. And he usually 
has such pain come to him, for such a love, being mor- 
tal, must die, and its death will bring great pain and 
suffering to the one who relies upon it for happiness. 
The love of the freed and unattached person is dif- 
ferent. It is not a lesser lover — it is the greater of 
the two — but it is not attached to the personality of 
the other, nor is it dependent upon the manifestation 
of affection on the part of the other. It is Love — pure 
Love, and not the passionate, selfish thing that passes 
current as the real thing, of which it is merely a base 
counterfeit. 

Edward Carpenter says of Love : 

"Who loves the mortal creature, ending there, is no 
more free — he has given himself awav to Death. 



KARMA YOGA. 135 

"For him the slimy black Form lies in wait at every 
turn, befouling the universe; 

"Yet he who loves must love the mortal, and he 
who would love perfectly must be free : 

("Love — glorious though it be — is a disease as long 
as it destroys or even impairs the freedom of the 
soul.) 

"Therefore if thou wouldst love, withdraw thyself 
from love — 

"Make it thy slave, and all the miracles of nature 
shall lie in the palm of thy hand." 

And again : 

"Seek not the end of love in this act or in that 
act — lest indeed it become the end; 

"But seek this act and that act and thousands of 
acts whose end is love — 

"So shalt thou at last create that which thou now 
desirest ; 

"And when these are all past and gone there shall 
remain to thee a great and immortal possession, which 
no man can take away." 

In Lesson I of this course we refer to the first pre- 
cept of the first part of the manual : "Kill out ambi- 
tion." And to the fourth precept of the same part: 
"Work as those work who are ambitious." This 
apparently paradoxical statement of truth, gives the 
keynote of work without attachment. In the lesson 
named we have endeavored to give the student a view 
of the two sides of the shield, and to show him how 



136 ADVANCED COURSE. 

one may kill out ambition and yet work as those work 
who are ambitious. We advise the student to re-read 
that part of the lesson, when he finishes the present 
one. 

The fundamental idea of non-attachment — the se- 
cret of work — is to avoid becoming entangled in the 
unreal things of life — the delusions which fool so 
many people. Men are so apt to tie themselves to the 
things they create, or to the things for which they are 
working. They make themselves slaves instead of 
masters. They attach themselves to certain desires, 
and the desires lead them this way and that way, 
through swamp and over rocky roads, only to leave 
them worn and weary at the end. These desires come 
from the undeveloped part of the mind, and while they 
are perfectly right in their place, they belong to the 
past of the developed man who has outlived them. He 
does not fear them, for he sees them as part of him- 
self — he knows their origin and history and recog- 
nizes the part they have played in his development, 
and the development of the race, but he has outgrown 
them, and allows them to bind him no longer. He 
refuses to be entangled with them. As Carpenter 
says : 

"Slowly and resolutely — as a fly cleans its legs of 
the honey in which it has been caught — 

"So remove thou, if it only be for a time, every 
particle which sullies the brightness of thy mind : 

"Return into thyself — content to give, but asking 
no one, asking nothing; 



KARMA <YOGA. 137 

"In the calm light of His splendor who fills all the 
universe — the imperishable indestructible of ages — 

"Dwell thou — as thou canst dwell — contented." 

The same poet says of desire: 

"When thy body — as needs must happen at times — 
is carried along on the wind of passion, say not thou, 
'I desire this or that'; 

"For the T neither desires nor fears anything, but 
is free and in everlasting glory, dwelling in heaven 
and pouring out joy like the sun on all sides. 

"Let not that precious thing by any confusion be 
drawn down and entangled in the world of opposites, 
and of Death and suffering. 

"For as a light-house beam sweeps with incredible 
speed over sea and land, yet the lamp moves not at all. 

"So while thy body of desire is (and must be by 
the law of its nature) incessantly in motion in the 
world of suffering, the T high up above is fixed in 
heaven. 

"Therefore I say let no confusion cloud thy mind 
about this matter ; 

"But ever when desire knocks at thy door, 

"Though thou grant it admission and entreat it 
hospitably — as in duty bound — 

"Fence it yet gently off from thy true self, 

"Lest it should tear and rend thee." 

The Karma Yogi recognizes work and life as what 
they are, and is not deluded by the popular misconcep- 
tions of these subjects. He sees the fallacy of the 
popular idea that work is a curse placed upon man- 
kind. He sees it, instead as one of the great blessings 



138 ADVANCED COURSE. 

and privileges of the race. He realizes the benefits 
and happiness that spring from work, when performed 
free from attachment, and he accordingly makes use 
of it. When perplexed or disturbed from any cause 
he finds relief in his work. He finds it a great help 
in overcoming the temptations of the lower part of 
his nature, and a wonderful aid in helping him to 
meet the new problems that are constantly presenting 
themselves to him. 

It is natural to man to work. It is a manifestation 
of the divine creative power manifesting through him. 
It is the desire for expression and unfoldment. 

If thy soul recoil from the sight of the vanities of 
the world — from its hollow ideals and aims — from its 
cruelty — from its injustice — from its blindness — from 
the puppet-show play manifest on all sides to one who 
sees and thinks — rest thyself for a moment, retiring 
into the silence of the inner chambers of thyself. Do 
not be discouraged — do not feel like withdrawing from 
it all — do not cry out in anguish and sorrow. You 
have a work to do, and no one can do it so well as 
you. Your life has a meaning — a purpose. So go 
back again into the midst of the fray. Play well thy 
part — do the tasks set before you to-day — do the "du- 
ties" that seem proper for your doing. It is all a part 
of your soul development, and the development of the 
race. Let not the hollowness and worthlessness of it 
all dishearten and disgust you. It all means some- 
thing. But beware of becoming entangled in the 
fruits of your action — in the desire for reward. Keep 
your eyes clear and your mind unclouded. 



KARMA YOGA. I30 

Do not think that you may keep out of the fight, 
but, as the "Light on the Path" says : ''And though 
thou tightest, be not thou the warrior." 

If thy Karma has set thee in the midst of action^ 
act ! It is thy only chance of working out of the con- 
ditions that fret and disturb thee. 

You cannot run away from your Karma — you must 
exhaust it—work it out. You will be repaid in the 
end. 

This question is beautifully treated upon in the 
great Sanscrit poem, "The Bhagavad-Gita." The 
Prince Arjuna, complains of being forced in the bat- 
tle of life, and beseeches Krishna to relieve him of 
the duty. Krishna tells him his duty, and urges him 
to perform it. Edwin Arnold has translated this poem 
into that beautiful English poem "The Song Celestial." 
Arnold's poem makes Krishna say to Arjuna : 
"No man shall escape from act, 
By shunning action ; nay, and none shall come 
By mere renouncements unto perfectness. 
Nay, and no jot of time, at any time, 
Rests any actionless; his nature's law 
Compels him, even unwilling, into act. 
(For thought is act in fancy). He who sits 
Suppressing all the instruments of flesh, 
Yet in his idle heart thinking on them, 
Plays the inept and guilty hypocrite: 
But he who, with strong body serving mind, 
Gives up his mortal powers to worthy work- 
Not seeking gain, Arjuna! such an one 
Is honorable. Do thine allotted task ! 



140 ADVANCED COURSE. 

Work is more excellent than idleness; 

The body's life proceeds not, lacking work. 

There is a task of holiness to do, 

Unlike world-binding toil, which bindeth not 

The faithful soul; such earthly duty do 

Free from desire, and thou shalt well perform 

Thy heavenly purpose." 

We know of no better words with which to close 
our lesson than those of Edwin Arnold, in the poem 
above mentioned. We consider these lines among the 
most beautiful ever written in the English language. 
You will do well to commit them to memory : 
"Never the spirit was born; the spirit shall cease to 
be never; 

Never was time it zvas not; End and Beginning are 
dreams! 
Birthless and deathless and changeless remaineth the' 
spirit for ever; 

Death hath not touched it at all, dead though the 
house of it seems!" 

If you can but grasp the true spirit of these words 
of Arnold's, and make them a part of your conscious- 
ness, you will need no further instruction in Karma 
Yoga — you will lead the life instinctively, and will be 
able to see things as they are, and not as they seem 
to be when seen through the veil of delusion. Such 
knowledge will lead you to a realization of the Real 
Self, and, that once attained, the rest will be made 
plain. 

May these words, and the thought, bring you Peace ! 



LESSON VI. 

Gnani Yoga. 

Gnani Yoga is known as the "Yoga of Wisdom." 
The word, "Gnani," is derived from the Sanscrit 
root-word "Gna," meaning "to know." We prefer 
the word "Gnani," although the words, "Jnana,' 5 
"Gnyana," etc.. are often used, and have the same 
meaning. 

Gnani Yoga is the path to which student, philos- 
ophers — men and women of the intellectual tempera- 
ment are attracted. Those who are attracted by met- 
aphysical reasoning and speculation, subtle intellect- 
ual research, philosophy, science, and similar lines 
of mental effort, turn naturally to "Gnani Yoga" as 
it holds out to them a pleasant and agreeable path to 
that which is dear to their hearts. 

But one does not have to be a skilled metaphysi- 
cian, or a deep student, to avail himself of the les- 
sons of this branch of the Yogi Philosophy. It is 
open to all of those who wish to know the why and 
wherefore of life — who are not satisfied with the 
commonplace and childish explanations of the great 
problems of existence that are offered to them by 
the ordinary teachings and creeds — to those who re- 
gard the exoteric side of the subject as all very well 
in its way, but whose natures call out for the hidden 
knowledge, the esoteric phase of the truth. 

The Karma Yogi is continually asking "How?" or 
141 



142 ADVANCED COURSE. 

"What?" The Gnani Yogi's eternal question is 
"Why?" And this "Why?" is beginning to unfold 
in the minds of more people every day. The thirst 
for real spiritual knowledge is rendering many un- 
comfortable, and causing them to seek that with 
which to quench the thirst — the spiritual hunger is 
demanding nourishing food for the soul. 

People are beginning to see the unreality of the 
material things around them, great as these material 
things may seem to be. They see that civilization 
follows civilization — races rise, flourish and fall — 
people rise from savagery up and on to the heights 
of material achievement, and then begin to decay. 
In the ruins found buried beneath the earth's surface 
may be found traces of former great civilizations, of 
which history has no record. And one is awed by 
the thought that the people of those civilizations 
must have thought themselves at the apex of human 
achievement and that there was but little left for the 
generations to come. And yet, they have faded 
away, leaving not even a trace on the pages of his- 
tory. The great warriors, statesmen, philosophers 
and teachers of these civilizations are unknown, and 
the people themselves are without a name to us. 
Uothing is left to tell the tale, but a broken column 
here, or a mutilated statue there. And the thinker 
sees that this fate must meet all races — all civiliza- 
tions — even our own. We must pass away — our 
work will be forgotten — future races, building a civ- 
ilization upon the ruins of that which is our proud- 
est boast, will wonder who and what we were. 



GNANI YOGA. 143 

Religions have risen, flourished, dominated mil- 
lions, and have faded away, borne down by the 
weight of the superstition and outward forms which 
man persists in building around the bit of truth which 
originally caused the religion to spring into existence. 
It has ever been so, and must be so in the future. 
We may doubt this fact (so, doubtless, did the peo- 
ple of the vanished civilizations), but it must come. 
It is mortal — man's work — and the mortal ever must 
perish and pass away. 

Men look around them, and, becoming conscious of 
the unreality of all that goes to make up mortal life, 
begin to ponder over the meaning of it all. They 
ask "Whence come we — whither go we — what is the 
object of our existence?" They try to solve the rid- 
dle of life by countless theories. They discard the 
dogmas that are handed down to them, only to create 
fresh dogmas equally unsatisfying. They travel 
around like a squirrel in a cage, and exhaust them- 
selves on the wheel — but they stop just where they 
began. They are like a caged bird, that beats itself 
to death against the confining bars of its prison. 
They go around and around the circle of intellectual 
reasoning, only to find themselves travelling over 
and over the same ground, and making no real prog- 
ress. They try to explain things, but succeed merely 
in giving things new names. They climb the moun- 
tain of knowledge, and when they reach the top they 
look around them and see that they merely have 
reached the top of a small foot-hill, while, far above 
them, towering higher and higher, rise range after 



144 ADVANCED COURSE. 

range of the real mountains, the highest peaks of 
which are hidden among the clouds. 

The mistake of the searchers is that they are con- 
tinually seeking the truth from outside — it is not to 
be found there, for it is within. It is true that with 
the inner light every outside thing may be studied 
to advantage, and bits of truth gathered therefrom. 
But without this inner light the outer objects will 
give no real answer, and one may shout aloud to 
nature and hear only the echo of his own cry. The 
seekers on the relative plane find only that for which 
they look. They find that which they expect, for 
there is more or less truth in the theories favored by 
them, and accordingly they must find something that 
will correspond with that bit of truth. But the man 
who looks for the thing exactly opposed to that 
sought for by these seekers also will find that for 
which he looks, for he, likewise, has a bit of the 
truth, and must find that which corresponds to it. 
Each realizing that he has found a bit of the truth, 
but each making the mistake of supposing it to be all 
of the truth, disputes the claims of the other, and 
various schools form. Then the schools quarrel over 
details, and split into sub-schools, and so it goes, and 
the inquiring student is perplexed more than ever to 
know just what is the truth. 

Let not our students suppose that we are speaking 
alone of the Western schools of religion and philos- 
ophy — the Eastern world is just as bad. In India 
there are countless sects, schools and cults. Each 
started with a bit of the truth, but they have added 



GNANI YOGA,' 145 

much nonsense to that sacred thing, until the real 
truth has been lost sight of by the followers, and 
superstition and idle theories have taken the place of 
the calm, clear reasoning of the founders. The East 
and the West stand alike in this respect — but while 
this is so, there is a small number of men in all 
parts of the world, who keep alive the lamp of truth 
— who keep the flame burning by watchful care, and 
unceasing devotion. These men refuse to allow any 
theories of their own, or others, to be mixed up with 
the truth. They say: "Let us speculate if we see 
fit— let us listen to the speculations of others — but let 
us not confound it with the bit of Divine Truth that 
has been handed down to us. Let us mix no alloy 
with the pure metal." It is true that India always 
has been the source and center of great spiritual 
truths. All great religions have had their real birth 
in the East. And in India to-day the conditions are 
more favorable for deep thought and study than is 
the case in the bustling West. But this does not 
mean that the masses of the Hindu people are highly 
developed spiritually. On the contrary, there is no 
land where the weed of superstition grows more 
rankly. And the reason of this may be understood, 
readily, when we consider that the same conditions 
which are conducive to high metaphysical and spiritual 
research and study, likewise furnish the best soil in 
which the weeds of superstition may grow. In the 
soil of California, fruits and flowers grow in a way 
unknown to the rest of the United States, but the 
same soil will grow a rank vegetation of weeds if 



146 ADVANCED COURSE. 

untended and neglected. In India, if a farming set- 
tlement be neglected, in a year or so the jungle has 
again claimed its former home, and rank vegetation 
flourishes where the field of the farmer formerly 
stood. 

In the East, the false gods of superstition are found 
in great number, while in the West the new god 
(equally false) of Material Wealth occupies the place 
in the temple. Between Mammon and the false gods 
of India there is a strong family resemblance. 

The Gnani Yogi sees truth in all forms of relig- 
ion, and in all schools of philosophy, but he recog- 
nizes that this truth is but a small part of the great 
truth. He finds no fault with any religion or school 
of philosophy — he has no argument with them — the 
only point he raises is "this is not the Whole Truth." 
He has no special school or creed, for he recognizes 
as brothers all thinkers and professors of religion, 
everywhere, of all shades of opinion. His belief is 
large enough to take them all in — but he refuses to 
be bound by the limitations of any of *them. The 
trouble with the conflicting schools and .creeds is that 
they wish to limit God, and to exclude some men. 
The Gnani Yogi can see no limit to God, and can 
conceive of no exclusion of any of God's children or 
creatures. 

In this lesson, we will try to give our students a 
plain idea of the fundamental ideas and teachings of 
the Gnani Yogis, divested of the conflicting theories 
of their several schools of followers, each of whom 
accept the main premise, and then build up certain 



GNANI YOGA. 147 

arguments and conclusions from the same. These 
fundamental truths are to be found in the esoteric 
teachings of all religions, among all races, and have 
been imparted to these religions by the original 
founders (who obtained them through their Spiritual 
Minds), through their favored disciples. These teach- 
ings become impaired with each generation of fol- 
lowers, until the original truths are almost entirely 
lost sight of. As an illustration of this fact, read the 
"Sermon on the Mount," the teachings of which are 
understood and venerated by occultists and mystics 
of all schools and countries. Then see how His fol- 
lowers maintain the outward form while stating 
boldly and unblushingly that Christ's teachings are 
"not practicable." Unbelievers may deny the truth of 
Christ's teachings, but it remains for professing 
Christians to pronounce them "foolish" and not fitted 
for the use of mankind. And so it is with the mass 
of the followers of all religions — they maintain the 
name and outward form, but accept only such oi 
the teachings as fit in with their lives. Instead oi 
making their lives conform to the teachings, they 
make the teachings conform to their lives. We men- 
tion these things, not in the spirit of harsh criticism, 
but merely as an example of the difference between 
the esoteric and the exoteric teachings of all religions. 
In these fundamental teachings of the Gnani Yogis, 
there is nothing to conflict with the real teachings 
— the esoteric teachings — of any religion, and one may 
retain his connection with any form of religion while 
accepting these fundamental truths. In fact, such 



148 ADVANCED COURSE. 

knowledge will enable anyone to see the esoteric side 
of his own religion, and appreciate the beauties 
thereof, while his fellow worshippers tie themselves 
to forms and words. And, likewise, those having no 
special form of religion will find that these teachings 
afford to them the spiritual comfort that they have 
9iot been able to find elsewhere, and that, when the 
idea is fully grasped, these teachings are found to be in 
full accord with reason. And the unbeliever, and ma- 
terialist, may find in these teachings the spirit of the 
thing to which he has held. He has been talking 
about "Nature" — let him consider that to the Gnanis 
the words "God" and "Nature" have the same sense, 
and the scales will drop from his eyes. 

In this lesson, we will state fundamentals only, and 
shall not attempt to build up any special theories or 
philosophy. The material furnished should give one 
the key to all philosophies, and each student may 
build up a little philosophy to suit himself, remember- 
ing, always, that all such theories are to be used 
merely as working hypotheses, and not as fundamen- 
tal truth. With this understanding, we will pro- 
ceed with our work. 

In the consideration of tne Riddle of the Universe 
we of necessity must go back to first principles — to 
that which underlies everything evident to the senses. 
The average man dismisses this thought with the 
remark that "God is back of everything, and we can- 
not understand God," which is very true. But ask 
him for his conception of God, and you will find that 
it varies with each individual. Each has his own 



GNANI YOGA. 149 

idea—or lack of idea — but nearly all will tell you that 
God is a thing or being outside of Nature, who has 
somehow started things going, and then left them to 
run themselves in some mysterious manner. The 
average man considers the answer "God did it" as a 
sufficient explanation of everything, notwithstanding 
the fact that such a man's idea of "God" is but very 
little advanced above the idea of Deity entertained 
by the savage. Unless we understand something about 
the nature of God, we can not understand anything 
about the nature of the Universe or of Life. Of 
course, the finite mind can grasp but little of the 
Infinite, but still it may grasp a little, through the 
channel of the Spiritual Mind, and that "little" is 
what the Gnanis state to be the "truth" — not in the 
sense that it is "true" simply because it is their be- 
lief, but that it is "true" because the knowledge of 
it may be obtained by any man who will allow the 
Spiritual Mind to impart its knowledge. The mere 
presentation of the truth often intuitively carries the 
evidence of its truth to the minds of those who are 
ready for it. It may transcend Intellect, but Intellect 
does not refuse it when the mind has been cleared of 
the rubbish that has been piled into it. 

To the student of Gnani Yoga, the teacher always 
advises that he go through a course of mental train- 
ing, discipline and self-examination, with the intent 
and idea that he shall "lay aside" former prejudices, 
preconceived opinions, dogmatic teachings, inherited 
tendencies, unreasoned suggestions poured into his 
mind in childhood, and similar furniture of the mind. 



150 ADVANCED COURSE. 

Remember, we say "lay aside," not "discard" — mere- 
ly "lay aside" to be taken up again and used if need 
be — but surely laid aside in order that the mind may 
grasp the new and full presentation of the truth, 
without interference and obstacle, and without dan- 
ger of having the truth mixed up with old theories, 
limitations and misrepresentations. The Gnanis claim 
that a mind ready for the truth, if cleared in this 
way, will intuitively recognize the truth when it is 
presented to them, and will know the true metal from 
the base, without trouble. 

We do not insist upon our students going through 
this course of preparation, at this time, but merely 
ask that they "lay aside" prejudice for the moment, 
and give this presentation a "fair field" for thought. 
If it does not appeal to you, lay it aside for some 
future consideration — there is no harm done, and 
you are not ready for it. If it does appeal to you — 
if it seems to fill your soul as it never has been 
filled before — then you are ready for it — the Truth is 
yours. 

The Gnani Yogi's conception of Deity is likened by 
many to a form of Pantheism, but it is much more 
than Pantheism. Pantheism teaches that God is the 
sum of all things, seen, felt, heard, tasted, or smelled — 
in fact, that the Universe as zve know it is God. The 
Gnani Yoga teaching is that this is only a half-truth. 
It holds that all of the things of which we may be- 
come aware are only a infinitesimal part of the real 
Universe, and that to say that this is God would be 
like saying that the paring of a finger-nail was The 



GNANI YOGA. 151 

Man. Gnani Yoga teaches not that The Universe is 
God, but that God is manifest in all that comprises our 
Universe, and in a million times more. It claims that 
the true idea of God is beyond human conception, 
and that even beings as much more highly advanced 
than man in the scale of life, as man is higher than 
the beetle, can form merely a faint idea of his nature 
But they claim that man may grow to know, actually, 
that God is in all Life. The teaching may be summed 
up, roughly, by the statement that God is present in 
all Life, manifest or unmanifest, created or not-cre- 
ated, seen or not seen, known or not known. This 
idea, you will see, is far different from the one that 
God is merely the sum of things known and seen, 
and, likewise, is different from the idea that He is a 
thing apart from his creations. The Gnanis speak 
not of "creations," for their idea is that all things are 
"manifestations" of God. 

The student, who is accustomed to the ordinary 
use of the word "God," may have a difficulty in form- 
ing a mental conception of the Gnani idea of Deity. 
He will be apt to carry in his mind the anthropomor- 
phic conception of God — that is, the conception of 
God as a man, or, at least, as having the form, pas- 
sions, habits and characteristics of man. This idea 
of God belongs to the infant stages of the race, and 
the great thinkers of all religions have long since 
outgrown this childish idea. Although Deity must 
possess all the higher attributes generally ascribed to 
the personal idea of God, yet He must so transcend 
any such personal idea that no thinking man, having 



152 ADVANCED COURSE. 

the proper respect for the Source of Being, can \ jn- 
tinue to maintain the anthropomorphic conception, no 
matter what his religious belief may be. 

And, in view of the conception and mental image 
ordinarily called forth by the word "God," and the 
possibility of misunderstanding of our , meaning, we 
think it better to use the term "THE ABSOLUTE" 
in speaking of God in this lesson. This course is 
rendered particularly desirable in view of the fact 
that Gnani Yoga is more of a philosophy than a re- 
ligion — more of a study for the higher powers of the 
mind, than an emotional subject, or one inculcating 
devotion. When we come to the subject of "Bhakti 
Yoga," which deals with the worship of God — the 
religious phase of the Yoga Philosophy, we may ap- 
propriately resume the use of the word "God" as ap- 
plied to Deity, without danger of a misapprehension. 
So when, in this lesson, we speak of "The Absolute," 
we are not attempting to set up a new God, but 
merely are using a general term for the Source of 
Being, which is sufficiently broad to fit in with the 
conceptions of Deity held by any and all students, ir- 
respective of their creed, belief, or training — and 
with the conceptions of the philosophers who prefer 
to think of a "principle" rather than of Deity. We 
ask the student to re-read this paragraph, in order 
that he may clearly understand the reason of the 
use of the term, in this lesson. 

The Gnani Yoga Philosophy starts with the state- 
ment : "The Absolute IS." It does not pretend to be 
able to explain to the human intellect, the how, where- 



GNANI YOGA. 153 

fore, and why, of the Absolute. It merely states that 
it "IS." In answer to the question, "How can there 
be a thing without a cause?" it replies that this un- 
derstanding of cause and effect belongs to the rela- 
tive plane of causation, and the Absolute is above 
the relative plane, as a matter of course. We see 
that everything around us has a cause, and is itself a 
cause of succeeding effects. Everything that we see, 
feel, or hear is a part of the chain of cause and effect. 
That is, it has a chain of preceding causes running 
back to — where? and it has a chain of succeeding 
effects that extends away into the future, ending — 
where? In each case the answer is "The Absolute." 
We may trace the causes of a thing so far back that 
the reason refuses to act, and we may imagine a 
train of effects from a cause extending so far into 
the future that even the imagination refuses to carry 
the matter along further. The secret is that every- 
thing begins and ends in The Absolute. The human 
intellect is utterly unable to form a clear conception 
of a thing without a cause, because the Intellect is on 
the relative plane, and in this world of relativity 
everything has its cause, and we cannot imagine a 
thing entirely transcending our sense experience, and, 
therefore, can conceive of no thing without a cause. 
The philosophers who claim that everything must 
have a cause, are met with two propositions, one of 
which they must accept, and either of which destroys 
their own theory. They must accept the proposition 
(1) that there is a first cause, in which case they 
simply remove the problem back a few steps, and 



154 ADVANCED COURSE. 

must admit that the First Cause has no cause ; or 
they must admit (2) that the chain of cause and 
effect is infinite, in which case they are confronted 
with the difficulty that a beginningless thing can have 
no cause — that a thing that has no beginning can 
have no cause — in which case the law of cause and 
effect is incomplete. In short, the human intellect is 
utterly incapable of solving the question, and the 
more it attempts it the more does it become mud- 
dled. It is the old question of the child, "Who made 
the Universe?" the answer being "God." The child 
then asks, "Then who made God?" You see, it is 
merely moving the question back another stage. Even 
the materialist who says he does not believe in God 
at all, has to assert that Matter has existed forever, 
and cannot explain why Matter should have no cause, 
when all manifestations of it show a chain of cause 
and effect (The materialist is merely setting up a 
conception of one of the manifestations of The Absolute 
and calls it Matter, while he refuses to accept another 
manifestation of The Absolute, which men usually call 
Mind, or Intelligence.) 

And, so at the end, the Intellect is forced to admit 
that there is some thing that has no cause. In other 
words, it must admit itself beaten, and beaten it must 
be because it belongs to the relative plane, and can- 
not conceive of The Absolute. 

The Gnanis call The Absolute "The Causeless 
Cause," and merely assert that it IS. The student 
must grasp this idea of the reality of The Absolute 
before he proceeds. He need not give it any attri- 



GNANI YOGA. 155 

butes, or pretend to understand it — he may not even 
give it a name. But he must admit that there is an 
absolute Something, be it called God, Mind, Matter, 
Force, Life, or what not. He must admit and conceive 
of the absolute Thing, from which all the rest proceeds 
— or which is manifested in all the rest. 

The next step for the student is the assimilation of 
the fact that all there is, seen or unseen, must be a 
manifestation or emanation of that Absolute Thing. 
For there can be nothing outside of The Absolute, 
or which has not emanated from it. There is no out- 
side. There is nothing outside. Everything must 
have come from the one source. If The Absolute 
were to make a thing, it must make it out of itself, 
at least so far as our Intellect can conceive of the 
matter. There cannot be two Absolutes — there is 
room only for One. 

We think it well to insert in this place a little 
poem, the name of the writer of which is unknown to 
us. It states a great truth in the simplest language. 

"Thou great eternal Infinite, the great unbounded Whole, 

Thy body is the Universe — thy spirit is the soul. 

If thou dost fill immensity ; if thou art all in all ; 

If thou wert here before I was, I am not here at alL 

How could I live outside of thee? Dost thou fill earth and 

air? 
There surely is no place for me outside of everywhere. 
If thou art God, and thou dost fill immensity of space, 
Then I'm of God, think as you will, or else I have no place. 
And if I have no place at all, or if I am not here, 
'Banished' I surely cannot be, for then I'd be somewhere. 
Then I must be a part of God, no matter if I'm small; 
And if I'm not a part of Him; there's no such God at all." 

The third step for the student is the mastery of 
the mental conception that The Absolute must be pos- 



156 ADVANCED COURSE. 

sessed of the three attributes, (i) Omnipotence; (2) 
Omniscience; (3) Omnipresence. The student is not 
asked to accept this statement blindly Let him exam- 
ine it. 

(1) Omnipotent means all-mighty, all-powerful. 
Not that The Absolute is mightier than something 
else, or all the rest put together, but that it is all- 
mighty — a//-powerful. That it is possessed of all the 
power there is, and, consequently, that all the power 
of which we are conscious is a manifestation of The 
Absolute. There is no room for any other power, 
and all the power that is manifested, of all kinds and 
descriptions, must be manifestations of The Absolute. 
Do not try to evade this question and answer — it 
must be met. Many persons speak of God being 
Omnipotent — of an Almighty, all-powerful God, but 
they have merely the faintest conception of what the 
word means. And they will "dodge" the truth inevi- 
tably springing from the statement of All-power, 
namely, that all power must be of God. They would 
attribute to God all the manifestations of power that 
are pleasing to them, or which are conducive to their 
welfare, but when it comes to a manifestation of 
power that hurts them, or seems cruel, they are 
afraid to attribute it to God, and either ignore the 
question, or else attribute the undesirable thing to 
some other power, the "Devil," for instance, failing 
to see that if God is ^//-powerful, there can be no 
other power in the Universe, and that all manifesta- 
tions of power, good or bad (relative terms), as they 
may seem to be, must be from the same source. The 



GNANI YOGA. 157 

tTv *Mq with man is that he calls all the things that 
inure to his material comfort and welfare, "good," 
and a21 that interfere with it, "bad." ("Good" weath- 
er is weather that is pleasant to man — and "bad" 
weather is that which is unpleasant to him. If he 
were out of the body, he would see them both as 
equally good, for neither would affect him.) 

(2) Omnipresent means all-present — everywhere 
present at the same time. It means the The Absolute is 
present in all space as we know it, and everywhere 
else without regard to our relative idea of space. It 
is Everywhere — space has no existence to it — it is In- 
finite. Here is another thing that the unaided Intel- 
lect is unable to grasp — Space. The Intellect cannot 
conceive of endless space any more than it can of a 
causeless cause. And yet (poor Intellect) it cannot 
imagine anything beyond space, or of the end of 
space. It cannot conceive of a space with an end, or 
without an end — of time with an end, or without an 
end. But to get back to our subject. If The Abso- 
lute is Omnipresent (and we cannot conceive of it 
not being), it must be present in all places at all 
times, in all persons, in all atoms, in matter, mind, 
and spirit. If it is absent from a single point of 
space, or without space, then it is not Omnipresent, 
and the whole statement is false. And if it is present 
everywhere, there is room for nothing else to be pres- 
ent at any place. And if this be so, everything must 
be a part of The Absolute, or an emanation of it. 
Everything must be a part of a Mighty Whole. Many 
people speak quite glibly of "God being everywhere" 



158 ADVANCED COURSE. 

— every child is taught this in Christian countries. 
But how few stop to think of what the words mean 
— they do not know that they are saying that God is 
in the low places as well as in the high places — in the 
"bad" places as well as in the "good" places. They 
do* not know that they are saying that God, being 
everywhere, everything must contain God — must, in- 
deed, be a part of His manifestation. The words 
which they use so lightly carry an awful meaning. 
The student is not asked to accept this statement of 
Omnipresence without examination. We have no 
space here to go into the matter in detail, but modern 
science is filled with theories of there being but one 
substance, and that substance pervading all space. 
Just as science holds that there is but one Force, 
manifesting in different ways, so does it hold that 
there is but one Substance, appearing in different 
forms. It is true that science arrives at this conclu- 
sion through materialistic reasoning, but the conclu- 
sions are practically identical with those of the Gnani 
Yogis, held by them for many centuries, and obtained 
by them from teachers still farther back in the world's 
history. And orthodox religions affirm the same 
thing with their statements of Omnipotence, and Om- 
nipresence — though they know it not. 

(3) Omniscient means all-knowing, all wise. It 
means that The Absolute is possessed of all knowl- 
edge ; that i£ knows everything ; that there is nothing 
that it does not know ; that it is the sum total of all 
the knowledge there is, ever has been or ever will be. 
If we admit that there is the slightest thing that is 



GNANI YOGA. 159 

not known, or cannot be known, to The Absolute, 
then we admit that the word is meaningless. And if 
The Absolute is possessed of all the knowledge there 
is, then it can make no mistakes ; does not find it nec- 
essary to change its mind; cannot think or act except 
wisely, and therefore, justly. And yet people seem 
to think that God makes mistakes, or does not know 
all about things, and they frequently feel called upon 
to call his attention to matters that He has over- 
looked, or mistakes he has made, and request him to 
do better by them in the future. They seem to have 
an idea that they can flatter God, or fool him. Poor 
little children ! The student may realize the truth of 
this statement of Omniscience, if he but looks around 
him and thinks a little. If The Absolute is not pos- 
sessed of all-knowledge, from whence do we gain 
knowledge? Surely not from outside of The Abso- 
lute. Is it not more likely that the knowledge is 
always there, and that our acquiring of knowledge is 
merely the unfolding of our minds sufficiently to ab- 
sorb it, or to let the Divine Knowledge play upon 
our minds. At any rate it would seem hopeless to 
expect knowledge from any other source than from 
The Absolute, for there is nothing else. 

The Gnanis teach that The Absolute is All-power- 
ful ; is All-wise ; is Everwhere. That it possesses all 
the power that there is — all the knowledge that there 
is — and occupies all space, or all that takes the place 
of space, if such there be, and is in 'everything, every- 
where, at the same time, and in all time. 

They teach that The Absolute in its sense of pure- 



i6o ADVANCED COURSE. 

being is incapable of being understood by the human 
Intellect, at the present time, but that it manifests in 
three forms, which forms of manifestation may 
be sensed, studied, and partially understood by the 
Intellect, even of the man of to-day. 

These three forms of manifestation of The Abso- 
lute are known as (i) Substance, o>r Matter; (2) En- 
ergy, or Force; (3) Intelligence, or Mind. That 
which occultists know as Spirit is a transcendent 
manifestation, and is not included in the three mani- 
festations above mentioned. Some writers treat of 
Spirit as a highly developed state of Mind, but it is 
more — it is a portion of The Absolute not manifest 
to our senses. So for the purpose of this lesson we 
will consider the three manifestations to be as above 
stated. 

The student's attention is called to the correspond- 
ence between the three mentioned manifestations of 
The Absolute, and the three attributes, mentioned a 
few pages further back. Thus (1) the attribute of 
Omnipresence is manifested in Substance, or Matter; 
(2) the attribute of Omnipotence is manifested in 
Energy, or Force; (3) the attribute of Omniscience is 
manifested in Mind, or Intelligence. That is, the 
manifestations mentioned are a part of the manifes- 
tations of the attributes mentioned — a very small 
manifestation as compared with others on higher 
planes, but still manifestations for all that. 

Do not understand us as saying that this three-fold 
manifestation of The Absolute is The Absolute Itself 
—they are merely manifestations, or emanations. (It 



GNANI YOGA. * 161 

is difficult to select the proper English word, for the 
best of them is inadequate to express the thought.) 
The Absolute itself cannot be seen, or thought of 
clearly by man, and the mind must lay hold of the 
idea of one or more of the manifestations in order to 
carry the thought. When we think of The Absolute 
as Intelligence, we merely think of the manifestation 
of that name. When we think of it as Force or 
Energy, or of it as doing something, we merely think 
of the manifestation of Energy. When we think of 
it as filling space, we can merely think of Matter in 
some of its forms, very ethereal forms perhaps, but 
still the manifestation of Substance or Matter. 

The ordinary religious man may find it difficult to 
conceive of God as manifesting in Substance or Mat- 
ter ; in Force or Energy. He thinks of Him as mak- 
ing, of using, these things, but is not accustomed to 
regarding Him as in them. The Gnani Yoga will help 
him to see God on all sides, and in all things. "Lift 
the stone and thou shalt find me; cleave the wood, 
and there am I." 

And, on the other hand, the materialist will not 
find it easy to accept these two forms of manifesta- 
tions as expressions of The Absolute, for that would 
seem to imply that The Absolute is something akin to 
the religious man's God, which the materialist has 
been denying. But Gnani Yoga brings these two 
brothers together in the truth, and tells them that 
they have been looking at the same thing from differ- 
ent view-points. The scientist may deny that the 
manifestation of Mind or Intelligence is a separate 



16a ADVANCED COURSE. 

manifestation, but that it is merely an incident of 
matter. The Gnani Yogi sees Intelligence in every- 
thing, from the mineral to man — in varying degrees. 
He realizes that the tiniest cell is possessed of a sub- 
conscious intelligence that allows it to perform work 
that is beyond the intellect of man. The smallest 
growing thing shows a great intelligence working in 
and through it, and man will never be able to dupli- 
cate its work, notwithstanding his giant intellect. In 
the growing of the blade of grass, God, or The Ab- 
solute, manifests in three forms, i. e., in Substance, 
or Matter; in Force, or Energy; in Intelligence, or 
Mind. The scientist may take the elements of the 
seed from the matter around him, may form it into 
a seed — may surround it with the proper soil and 
conditions — make apply to it all the forms of energy 
or force known to him — but the plant will not grow. 
It needs the third manifestation — Intelligence, or 
Mind, and that is beyond the power of man to be- 
stow. Each little cell contains intelligence, or mind, 
which works along unconscious lines, and builds up 
the plant. Our bodies are built up in the same way. 
There is Intelligence in everything — and it all ema- 
nates from The Absolute. 

Does man think that his intellect exhibits the high- 
est form of intelligence manifested in the universe? 
Nonsense ! He has but to look around him and see the 
adaptation of means to ends, in order to see how na- 
ture dovetails one thing into another. He cannot do 
these things with his intellect, and yet they were being- 
done ages before he appeared. A greater Intelligence 



GNANI YOGA. 163 

than man's is at work, and the careful student may 
see signs of it on every hand. The study of the 
grain of wheat, the examination of the rabbit's eye, 
will show wonderful design and intelligence. Let the 
doubter care for a hive of bees, and he will feel as did 
an acquaintance of ours who was a doubter until he 
began bee-culture, when his eyes were opened to the 
wonderful work of "Nature." He said that his 
thought when gazing at the workings of the hive 
was : "Nearer, my God, to Thee." 

Man is not developing Intelligence — he is merely 
developing the power to receive and absorb Intelli- 
gence and Knowledge from the fountain head. He re- 
ceives only as much as he is able to hold — God does 
not try to put a quart of Intelligence in a pint meas- 
ure. A No. 3 man does not receive a No. 7 amount 
of knowledge. 

And note this coincidence. As the soul develops 
and unfolds it begins to partake of more of each of 
the three attributes of The Absolute. It begins to 
know more — to have more power — to be able to mas- 
ter space and matter. And as the soul unfolds and 
grows it will continue to partake in an increasing 
ratio of the three attributes of The Absolute — Omni- 
science, Omnipotence and Omnipresence. 

We will not speak of our attitude toward The 
Absolute — our duty toward God — in this lesson. This 
properly comes under the head of "Bhakti Yoga" in 
our next lesson, and will be touched upon there. In 
this lesson we have spoken only of the philosophical 
side of the knowing of God — Gnani Yoga. 



164 ADVANCED COURSE. 

Now, right here, we must warn our students against 
a common mistake of students of the Eastern Philos- 
ophies — a mistake not alone common among students, 
but which also is apparent among some teachers. We 
allude to the proper conception (or the lack of it) of 
the relation of the Centre to the Emanation. While 
Man is of God, he is not God — while he is a mani- 
festation of The Absolute, he is not The Absolute 
itself. He is but the Finite expression of the Infinite. 
We hear Hindus, and Western students of the teach- 
ings of the East, running about crying aloud, "I am 
God." The)? are so overpowered with the sense of 
the Oneness of All that has burst upon them — are so 
carried away with the consciousness of their relation- 
ship to The Absolute, that they think that they are 
equal with God, or are God himself. No wonder that 
the stranger to the teachings is shocked by the appar- 
ent impiety, and both his reason and his emotions 
cause him to recoil from the statement. This is a 
most subtle, insidious and dangerous perversion of the 
true teaching, and we warn and caution all students 
against the same, no matter from how high or appar- 
ently authoritative source this false teaching may 
come. The advanced Hindu teachers do not make 
this mistake in thought, but some of their followers 
fall into the error. Some very good Oriental teach- 
ers have endeavored to express the Hindu thought in 
English terms, the result being that the English words 
not being fitted to express the fine shades of thought 
possible to the Sanscrit scholar, an entirely wrong 
idea has been promulgated. Many of the new cults 
in America and England have fallen into the satu» 



GNANI YOGA. . 165 

error, and their followers horrify and disgust their 
fellows by their assertions that verily they are God 
himself. If we are able to set this matter straight, 
we will feel that these lessons have had a purpose. 

The real basis of the Gnani Yoga Philosophy of 
Life is this: , 

All existence, conscious or unconscious, is an EMA- 
NATION of one Being. 

Note the word "Emanation" — it gives the key to 
the problem. Webster defines the word as follows: 
''Emanate. — To issue forth from a source ; to flow out 
from." The word "Emanation," then, is a thing that 
"issues forth from a source ;" that "flows forth from." 
Its root is the Latin word Manare, meaning "to flow." 
And this word gives us as near a correct idea of the 
thought of the Gnanis as it is possible for us to ob- 
tain. Let us take a favorite Gnani illustration — the 
Sun. The Sun is the Sun itself — the centre — the 
source of the vibrations that proceed from . it, and 
which vibrations, under certain conditions, manifest 
in the form of light and heat. Strictly speaking, noth- 
ing outside of the Sun is the Sun, and yet each bit of 
vibration is an emanation from the Sun — a part of 
the Sun, as it were. And each ray of light or heat 
which we perceive through our senses is really "Sun," 
in a way, and yet it is not the source. The ray is the 
Sun, in this sense, and yet the Sun is not the ray. Do 
you perceive our idea ? In one sense man may be 
God (as a ray or emanation), but most assuredly God 
is not man. Man, and all of existence, is OF God, 
but is not God Himself. We trust that the student 
will go over and over these words 4 until he gets the 



166 ADVANCED COURSE. 

thought clearly, as otherwise he will be landed in a 
morass of error from which" he will have much trouble 
to extract himself later. Many are floundering in this 
swamp now, and are tired and weary of the struggle. 

Some writers have attempted to convey this thought 
by the illustration of the physical body of Man. They 
compare each bit of life to a cell of the body, which 
possesses a certain intelligence, and often independent 
action. These cells form into cell-groups (See "Hatha 
Yoga," Chapter xviii., The Little Lives of the Body), 
having certain centres of energy, but all are depend- 
ent upon the brain — the Master. The Central Mind 
of the man regulates all. These writers have spoken 
of The Absolute — of God — as corresponding to the 
Central Mind, controlling and directing and Master- 
ing the individual cells. The illustration, although of 
necessity more or less imperfect, corresponds suffi- 
ciently well with the Gnani idea to mention it here. 
It may be a help to some student to get the proper 
mental conception of the idea. 

Swedenborg speaks of the individual, or thing, as 
but a form through which the Universe flows like a 
stream — this is another expression of the same 
thought. 

J. William Lloyd, in his excellent book, "Dazvn 
Thought" (The Lloyd Group, Westfield, N. J., U. S. 
A.), says: "When we touch a man's finger-nail we 
touch him. But it is not the sa.rne as touching a 
nerve. And it is not the same to touch the nerve as 
to touch the brain. According to the form, the in- 
dwelling life and divinity are more or less apparent 
and revealed. While life and a sort of intelligence 



GNANI YOGA. 167 

are everywhere, they are not the same in degree or 
expression. They differ in consciousness. Just as in 
man, while he is one, there is a part where conscious- 
ness, intelligence, and volition are especially located, 
and the other parts differ in their greater or lesser 
distance from that — in their greater or less resem- 
blance to it — so is the Universal One, there probably, 
somewhere, is a part which is "God" (better Father, 
Mother, or Parent) in the peculiar sense — conscious- 
ness, life, intelligence, force, in the pure or essence — 
and other parts may be classified by their greater or 
less distance from this Center — their greater or less 
resemblance to it." 

We mention these illustrations and views that the 
student may have different presentations of the same 
thought, colored by the mentality of their writers. 
Some will grasp the truth better from one presenta- 
tion, and others from another. Personally, we favor 
the illustration of the "Sun" — its centre and its ema- 
nations and rays — for we believe that it conveys a 
closer analogy to the real idea of the Gnanis than 
does any other. But any illustration that will help the 
student best is the best one for him. A Hindu teacher 
once showed his students a fragrant flower, calling 
their attention to the fact that the flower was throw- 
ing off particles of itself constantly, which, when per- 
ceived by the sense of smell, caused the sensation of 
fragrance — and yet while the fragrance was of the 
rose, a part of itself, the fragrance was not the rose. 
Of it, but not it. 

We find that we have touched merely upon one phase 
of Gnani Yoga. We will take up some of its other 



1 68 ADVANCED COURSE. 

features in subsequent lessons. Our next lesson will 
be upon Bhakti Yoga — the Yoga of the Love of God 
— a subject which naturally follows that part of Gnani 
Yoga which we have touched upon. It will tell of 
man's real relation to God — will remind that in God 
doeth man indeed live and move and have his being. 
The lesson will not be like a conventional sermon, 
although Bhakti Yoga addresses itself to the heart 
instead of the intellect. But it is in accord with rea- 
son, instead of contrary to it. In the lessons follow- 
ing the next one we will take up the other parts of 
Gnani Yogi, under appropriate headings. The Yogi 
Philosophy is suited to all the needs of man — some 
parts will appeal to each more than certain other 
parts — but all parts are good and necessary. So, do 
not neglect any part, simply because some other part 
appeals to you more. You will get something from 
each. 

In conclusion, we call your attention to the fact 
that it is a truth that the Universe is not a dead thing 
— it is alive, pulsating with life, energy and intelli- 
gence. It is a living thing, and YOU are part of it 
all. You are not The Absolute, but you are an atom 
comprising one of its rays — its life force is playing 
through you. You are in touch with the Centre, and 
the Centre is conscious of YOU and of its relation to 
you. While but an atom, you are necessary to the 
Whole. You are part of IT. Nothing can hurt you 
nor destroy you. And you are growing to a con- 
sciousness of your union with God — not a mere intel- 
lectual understanding, but a real, actual, living 
KNOWLEDGE. Peace be with thee! 



LESSON VII. 

Bhakti Yoga. 

As we have stated in previous lessons, the Yogi Phi- 
losophy is divided into several branches or forms, each 
specially adapted to the requirements of certain classes 
of students. And yet, each path leads to the same end 
— unfoldment, development, and growth. The man 
who wishes to grow by force of will, or by the steady 
pressure of the mind upon the sheaths enfolding the 
Higher Self, will be attracted to Raja Yoga. Another 
who wishes to grow by knowing — by studying the Rid- 
dle of the Universe, and by an intellectual comprehen- 
sion of the principles underlying Life, naturally is at- 
tracted toward Gnani Yoga. A third whose "religious 
nature" is largely developed, prefers to grow into 
an understanding and union with the Absolute, by the 
power of Love — by the inspiration that comes from 
the love of some conception of God, and some form 
of worship that may accompany that conception of 
Deity. Such an one is a follower of Bhakti Yoga. 

Of course one may be an ardent Raja Yogi, or a 
learned Gnani Yogi, and at the same time be filled with 
such a reverence and love of the Absolute that he is 
an advanced Bhakti Yogi. In fact, we fail to see how 
one may avoid being a Bhakti Yogi, if he studies any 
branch of Yoga. To know God is to love Him, and 
the more we know of Him, the more we must love 
Him. And, likewise, to know ourselves is to love God, 

169 



i;o ADVANCED COURSE. 

for we perceive our relationship with Him. And the 
more we develop ourselves, the more we find ourselves 
filled with a love of the Absolute. 

Bhakti Yoga supplies the craving of the human heart 
for the love for, and of, the Absolute, which craving 
manifests itself in what we call the "religious instinct" 
— the instinct of worship. All men have this instinct, 
manifested in various forms. Even those who style 
themselves "free-thinkers," "agnostics," as well as 
those who deny the existence of God at all, and who 
accept the intellectual conceptions of the materialists, 
feel this instinctive urge, and manifest it in the love 
of "Nature," or Art, or Music, little dreaming that in 
so doing they are still loving and practically worship- 
ing some of the manifestations of the God they deny. 

But when we say that Bhakti Yoga is the science of 
the Love of God, we do not mean that it is a science 
which separates those who love and worship some cer- 
tain conceptions of Deity, from others who may love 
and worship certain other conceptions of Deity. 
On the contrary, the true Bhakti Yogi recog- 
nizes that the love and worship of any con- 
ception of Deity is a form of Bhakti Yoga. To the 
Bhakti Yogi all men are worshipers of the Absolute 
— 'the Center of Life — Spirit — God. Notwithstanding 
the crude and barbarous conception of Deity the igno- 
rant savage may have, the Bhakti Yogi sees that that 
man is worshiping and loving the highest conception 
of Deity possible to him in his undeveloped state, and 
that he is doing the best he can. And consequently he 
sees in the savage a brother Bhakti Yogi, in the ele- 



BHAKTI YOGA. I;i 

mentary stages of knowledge. And he feels a sym- 
pathy with and an understanding of that savage mind, 
and his love goes out toward that humble brother (do- 
ing the best he knows how) and instead of denouncing 
him as a heathen and an unbeliever, he calls him 
"brother," and understands him. You may see, read- 
ily, that there are no closely drawn lines among the 
Bhakti Yogis— no feeling of sectarianism— for they 
feel that the whole race may be included in their body, 
and they are ready to extend the right hand of fellow- 
ship to all. 

The Absolute is unchangeable— the same yesterday, 
to-day, and to-morrow— but Man's conception of the 
Absolute is constantly changing as the race makes evo- 
lutionary progress. A man's God is always just a lit- 
tle in advance of the man— some have said that a 
man's God is the man at his best, and in so saying they 
have expressed the idea cleverly. The God of the Old 
Testament is a different being from the God of the 
New Testament. And the God of the Christian Church 
of to-day, is far different from the God of the Church 
of fifty years ago. And yet, God is the same— no 
change— the difference comes from the growth and 
development of the minds of the men and women com- 
posing the Church. As Man advances he sees higher 
attributes in God, and as he always loves and worships 
the highest and best in his conception of Deity, he 
transfers his idea from the lower idea of yesterday to 
the higher idea of to-day. And, to-morrow, still 
higher ideas will be grasped, and the God of to-morrow 
will be a still higher conception of Deity than the God 



172 ADVANCED COURSE. 

of to-day. And yet, God has not changed, and will 
not change the slightest, but Man has and will change 
his conception of Him. 

The ignorant savage believes in a God that seems 
to us like a Devil — but it is a God something like him- 
self — only a little bit better. And he carves some hid- 
eous image to represent that God, and he falls down 
and worships it — perhaps offers sacrifices to it — per- 
haps sprinkles human blood upon its altar, imagining 
that, like himself, God loves to see the blood of his 
enemies. The savage's enemies are always his God's 
enemies — and this idea follows man for a long time, 
as we may see by looking around us a little in our own 
countries to-day. After a while the savage, or rather 
his descendants, increase in knowledge and under- 
standing, and they cast down the God of their fathers, 
and erect one more in keeping with the higher concep- 
tion of Deity that has come with knowledge and 
unfoldment. The improvement may be but slight, 
but still it is a move in the right direction and the 
new God is just a little bit better — just a little bit kinder 
— just a little bit more loving — than the one that went 
before. And, so on, step by step the race rises to 
higher and greater conceptions of God — each step 
marking a throwing down of old ideals and a building 
up of new and better ones. And yet God remains the 
same — although higher conceptions of Him come into 
the minds of Man. 

The less developed races cannot form the concept 
of One God — they can see Him only as many Gods, 
each portraying and exhibiting some particular at- 



BHAKTI YOGA. 173 

tribute of the One — some phase of Life — some form 
of human feeling, passion, or thought. They have 
their gods of war — of peace — of love — of agriculture 
— of trade — 'and what not. And they worship and try 
to propitiate these various gods, not realizing that 
underneath it all they are obeying the religious in- 
stinct that will in time lead the race to a worship of 
the One — the Absolute. They clothe their gods with 
human attributes (even after they have evolved from 
the worship of many gods into the worship of some 
one particular conception). They imagine that God 
divides men into two classes, friends and enemies, and 
rewards His friends and punishes His enemies. They 
make their God do just what they would do if they 
had the power to reward and punish. They imagine 
that they are the chosen people and special favorites 
of God, and that He goes with them to battle and will 
help them to triumph over their enemies. They imag- 
ine that God delights in human blood, and that he 
commands them to put their enemies to the sword, 
even to the extent of killing the women and little 
children, yea, even to the ripping open of pregnant 
women, and the putting their unborn babes to the 
sword. Their God is a bloody and savage God — be- 
cause they are bloody and savage themselves. And 
yet the Absolute — God — moves on unchanged, and 
these people are worshiping and loving him the best 
they know how, calling him this name and that name, 
according to race and time. And the enemies of these 
people are likewise worshiping their own conception 
of God, calling Him by some name of their own, and 



i 74 ADVANCED COURSE. 

imagining that He is helping them to fight their ene- 
mies and their false God. And yet these two Gods are 
both products of the minds of the two warring tribes, 
both being created in obedience to the unfolding "re- 
ligious instinct." 

We may shudder at these tales and thoughts, but 
are we so very much in advance of this idea of the sav- 
age? In modern wars we find the two peoples pray- 
ing to their God for success over their enemies, each 
imagining that God is on their side. In the great war 
now being waged between Japan and Russia each na- 
tion is praying to its particular conception of God, 
beseeching that He march with them to battle against 
His enemies. They do not realize that they are both 
worshiping the same God, under different names, and 
that this real God loves them both equally well. In 
the late Civil War in the United States, each side 
prayed for victory, and believed that God must be 
with them. Churches were rent in twain by the war, 
and there was thought to be a God of the North and 
a God of the South — the one hating slavery and wish- 
ing to kill those who favored it — the other believing 
slavery to be a Divine Right and privilege, and wish- 
ing to defeat those who would abolish it. And yet, 
each side was merely seeing God through their ovn 
spectacles, and seeing him as themselves, somewhat 
magnified. And now both sides again agree upon cer- 
tain conceptions of God, and see slavery as something 
that had its rise, progress, and fall, in the evolutionary 
progress of Man. And yet, God has not changed — but 
Man's conception of Him has. 



BHAKTI YOGA. 175 

Men have persecuted others because they had a 
different conception of God from the persecutors. And 
the persecuted, in turn, when they gained power, per- 
lecuted weaker men who held to a third conception of 
the same God. And each thought he was doing his 
God's will in persecuting, and the persecuted thought 
that they were being persecuted in their God's cause. 
The Puritans were driven out of their native land be- 
cause of their peculiar conceptions of Deity, and when 
they had established themselves in a new land, they 
proceeded to punish the peaceful Quaker Friend whose 
conception of Deity offended them. And each thought 
he was pleasing God by punishing those who did not 
agree with him in his conception of Him. How 
childish it all seems to those who have attained the 
broader view, and are able to see all men as children 
of God, each doing the best he can, and worshiping 
the highest conception of Deity possible to them. And 
yet none are to be blamed for this narrowness and 
blindness — they, too, are doing the best they can. And 
all are worshiping God— the one God — the true God — 
the only God possible — the Absolute. And all are do- 
ing this because of the urge of the religious instinct 
pressing forward for unfoldment and growth. All 
these people are followers of Bhakti Yogi (in its ele- 
mentary forms) although tl\ey know it not. They 
think they are worshiping different conceptions of 
Deity — different Gods — but they are not — they are all 
loving and worshiping the One — the Absolute — the 
Reality. Seen through the different spectacles of the 
mind, the Absolute presents different and often gro- 



176 ADVANCED COURSE. 

tesque forms to the viewers, but all the while the Real- 
ity remains unchanged — The One — The Eternal One 
— The Absolute. 

And however crude and barbaric be the form of wor- 
ship, it all ascends to the One. Whether the visible 
object be stick, stone, image, tree, snake, or some other 
form of man's desire for an outward form for his in- 
ward belief, the real thing worshiped is the One — un- 
changeable — eternal — omnipotent — omniscient — om- 
nipresent. And the man who worships his highest 
conception of Deity does well. He does the best he 
knows how, and is as worthy of respect as his more en- 
lightened brother who also worships his highest con- 
ception of Deity. And the conceptions of both the 
savage and the advanced man, will grow higher and 
better, year by year, and the mind of each unfolds so 
as to allow the spiritual knowledge to flow into it. Let 
us lead our humbler brethren to better things, if we 
may and if they are capable of receiving such instruc- 
tion. But let us condemn them not, for they are our 
brothers — children of God — all on the Path, and also 
are we. We are but children in various stages of 
growth — each doing that which his age impels him to 
do — each having the understanding that belongs to 
his age — each doing the best he knows how. Let us 
not sneer, nor condemn, nor hate — but let our love flow 
out toward all our brothers, though they may be but 
infants unborn in spiritual knowledge. This is Bhakti 
Yoga in one of its phases. 

Bhakti Yoga is divided into two great branches or 
stages. The first is known as Gauni Bhakti and the 



BHAKTI YOGA. 177 

second, and higher, is called Para Bhakti. The first, 
Gauni Bhakti, is the preliminary stage, and consists of 
the science of the love and worship of God by means 
of the mental conception of God as a personal being 
— a "personal God." The second, or higher stage, 
Para Bhakti, consists of the worship and love of an 
impersonal God — ►the Absolute. Of course the same 
God is loved and worshiped in both cases, but the men- 
tal development of the follower of Gauni Bhakti does 
not admit of his forming a mental concept of an im- 
personal God, and he, doing the best he can, forms 
a mental image of a personal God. There are many 
sub-stages to both of these main stages, the conception 
of God depending upon the mental and spiritual de- 
velopment of the man. We will go over the question 
briefly in order that the student may distinguish the 
great difference between the two great stages of Bhakti 
Yoga, and at the same time may recognize that both 
ideas are of the same stock, the difference being a mat- 
ter of mental and spiritual growth. 

Primitive man feeling the urge of the religious in- 
stinct, but being unable to think clearly on the sub- 
ject, vents his instinctive worship upon crude symbols. 
He worships sticks and stones — thunder and lightning 
— the sun, moon and stars — the winds — and other nat- 
ural objects. A little later on the race begins to feel 
that God is some sort of person — some great big man, 
living somewhere in space — unseen but seeing. The 
mind of the savage conceives the idea of a God pos- 
sessing the same characteristics as himself — only much 
bigger and stronger. The savage being cruel and 



178 ADVANCED COURSE. 

bloodthirsty can imagine only a cruel and bloodthirsty 
God. If he is a black man his God likewise is black. 
If he is a Mongolian, his God has slanting eyes, and 
perhaps wears a queue. If he is an Indian, his God 
is red, with painted face and feathers, and carries a 
bow and arrows. If he is an uneducated Hindu, his 
God may ride a bull or an elephant, and be nearly 
naked. And so on, the God of every people bearing 
the characteristics of that people. Each nation, feel- 
ing the religious instinct, creates a conception of a 
personal God — and each conception of a personal God 
resembles those who create him. Each of these created 
Gods loves and hates the persons and things loved or 
hated by his creators. Each of these Gods is an ar- 
dent patriot of the country to which he belongs, and 
hates and despises all other countries and peoples. 

These created Gods often are given grotesque forms 
and shapes. Some have a dozen arms — some have sev- 
eral heads. They are armed with the weapons of the 
times to which they belong. Some hunt and chase — 
others indulge in warfare. They are supposed to grow 
angry, jealous, and to manifest hate, envy, and often 
change their minds. They are revengeful and, in short, 
are given all the attributes of a man of low develop- 
ment. And why not? The people who form these 
mental concepts cannot imagine a God very much in 
advance of them. These Gods generally demand flattery 
and sacrifices, and have a large following of priests 
and attendants to sing their praises, and to render hom- 
age. The priests are supported by the people, under 
supposed Divine orders, and claim to have the ear of 



BHAKTI YOGA. 179 

the Deity, and to dispense favors. They all seem to 
think it a part of their duty, to chant the praises of 
their Deity and to boast about his power, and claim 
that he can overcome the Gods of other peoples. These 
Gods seem to like to have men grovel in the dust be- 
fore them, and loudly proclaim their slavery — follow- 
ing the desires and examples of the kings and chiefs 
of the time. They can be flattered and bribed into 
giving favors, and if the sacrifices and offerings are 
not sufficient, they visit some terrible affliction upon 
the people, in order to make them pay their tithes or 
to furnish a sufficient number of objects for sacrifice. 
These Gods delight in the smell of burning flesh, and 
the aroma of the burnt ox or sheep is a delight to 
them. They also favor incense and perfumes. Once 
in a while they demand that blood — human blood, often 
— 'be sprinkled upon their altars. They give revela- 
tions through their high priests, and woe unto him 
who doubts them. Many of the priests are sincere and 
honest, but many more are not, and use the supersti- 
tious people as a milch cow, to support them in com- 
fort. Heavens and hells have been invented — the 
first to bribe the people to follow the laws of the 
church of priests, and the second to frighten them if 
the bribe failed. Temples are erected, and certain 
places are supposed to be ''holier" than others, and 
especially favored by God. Non-attendance at the 
temple is a serious offense, and God is particular to 
punish the stay-at-homes. Devils have been invented, 
as a means of frightening people, and to account for 



180 ADVANCED COURSE. 

"evil," although, in some of the creeds, the devils are 
not much worse than is the conception of Deity. 

Nearly all people have made images of their Gods, 
and the less learned of the people, could see but little 
difference between the image and the personal God 
somewhere afar off. The image was right before 
them, and partook of reality, while the Deity itself was 
a poorly understood being. 

We are not mentioning these things in the spirit of 
unkindly criticism, or of ridicule. Not a particle of 
such feelings animate us in this writing. We merely 
mention the facts in order to show the student the 
rough places traveled over by Man in his search for 
God. No matter how crude the conception of Deity 
— no matter how cruel and barbarous the form of wor- 
ship — no matter how buried in superstition are these 
forms of religion — each is a step in the progress of 
man to Union with God, and must be recognized as 
such. Man has discarded sheath after sheath of re- 
ligious ignorance, each sheath revealing a better form 
than itself. And this process is still going on, and will 
go on. We are growing out of old forms into better 
ones. This is a part of the evolutionary process. 

The materialist points out these same facts, and ar- 
gues that all religions are false because the history of 
the past shows the falsity of the old conceptions of 
age after age. But he does not see that his own con- 
ceptions of matter and Nature are likewise steps in 
the evolutionary process, and that his present position 
is merely a step on the ladder, just as were the forms 



BHAKTI YOGA. 181 

and conceptions at which he sneers. He like the sav- 
age and his successors, is seeking God, but he does 
not realize it. 

The student of religions will notice that Man's con- 
ception of God is growing greater, broader, grander 
and kinder each year. Even in our own times is this 
so. The last twenty years has wrought a mighty 
change in this respect. We no longer hear of God 
burning infants a span long in eternal flames. We 
hear very little of hell, in these days. We hear more 
and more of the Loving God, and less and less of the 
God of Hate and Anger. The people are being taught 
to love God instead of to fear Him. The change is 
going on rapidly. And better things are ahead of us. 
But we must not forget that each form of religious 
teaching — each creed — each church — no matter how 
crude may seem their teachings and forms — fills a 
needed place in the religious evolution of the race. 
Each suits the requirements of those following them, 
and each should be respected, accordingly. When the 
pews outgrow certain forms and conceptions, the pul- 
pits drop the objectionable teachings and modify and 
alter matters so as to fall into line. The preachers, 
as a rule, see quite a way ahead of their flocks, but 
know that the time is not yet ripe for the change. The 
change comes gradually. The teachings of the 
churches to-day — even the most orthodox — would 
seem like heresy and even blasphemy to our forefath- 
ers. Outgrown creeds fall aside, and new ones take 
their place, and yet the church organizations remain 
under the same old names. It is like the story of the 



182 ADVANCED COURSE. 

boy who had a knife which had been repeatedly re- 
paired. It had had four new handles and six new blades, 
and yet it was still the same old knife. Many of us, 
when we outgrow certain old conceptions, display an 
impatience and even contempt for those remaining in 
the fold from which we have strayed. This is all 
wrong. Those who remain are just where they be- 
long — it is the best place for them for the time being. 
When they outgrow their creed, they will drop it from 
them like a worn-out garment. Intolerance on our 
part would be just as absurd as the intolerance shown 
by these people. The true student of Bhakti Yoga 
will feel the keenest sympathy and the greatest tol- 
erance for all who are seeking God, no matter by what 
road they are journeying, or what may be the methods 
of their search. The undeveloped men try to prove 
their love of God, by starting in to hate all men who 
differ from them in their conception of Deity. They 
seem to feel that such non-belief, or difference of be- 
lief, is a direct affront to God, and that they as loyal 
servants of God must resent same. They seem to 
think that God needs their help against His "enemies." 
This is a most childlike attitude, and is entirely un- 
worthy of those who are reaching the age of spiritual 
maturity. The developed man, on the contrary, recog- 
nizes the relationship of all lovers of God — regardless 
of their conceptions — and sees them as fellow travelers 
on the same road. The way to love God is to Love 
Him instead of hating some fellow man. 

The worship of a personal God, whether such wor- 
ship be of a God of the savage, or the personal God of 



BHAKTI YOGA. 183 

the educated man, is all a form of Gauni Bhakti. It 
is only when man drops off the "personal" idea of God 
that he passes into the stage of Para Bhakti, and has 
an understanding of God in His higher sense. Not 
that God is devoid of personality— He goes beyond 
personality, not contrary to it. The Absolute may be 
loved as one loves a father or mother — as one loves a 
child — as one loves a friend — as one loves a lover. He 
includes in His being all the attributes calling for such 
forms of love, and responds to each demand. In fact 
no demand for a return of love is necessary between 
Man and God. Just as man steps out into the sunshine 
and opens himself to its rays, so does the man who 
loves God step out in the rays of the Divine Love and 
receive its benefit. The very act of loving God opens 
up one to the Divine Love. If one feels the need of 
the protecting love of the Father, all he need do is to 
open himself to such love. If one needs the tender 
and sympathetic love of a mother, such love comes to 
him if he but opens himself to its inflow. If one would 
love God as one does a child, such love is open to him 
in the same way, and many who have felt the need of 
such a bestowal of love, but who have feared the ap- 
parent sacrilege of thinking of God as one does of a 
loved child, may find that such a giving of love will 
ease many a heartache and pain, and will bring to them 
the comforting response that comes from the answer- 
ing pressure of the loved child. The Western religions 
take no account of this last form of love, but the re- 
ligious Oriental knows it, and it is no uncommon thing 
to hear a Hindu woman (using the poetical language 



184 ADVANCED COURSE. 

of her race) speaking of herself as a "Mother of God." 
Startling as this may seem to the Western mind, it is 
but a recognition on the part of these women of the 
fact that God supplies every need of the human heart 
in its desire for Love. And one may love God as a 
friend and brother and companion. And one may feel 
toward God the burning love of a lover. All these 
forms of love of God are known to the Bhakti Yogi. 
Our Western conceptions of God have allowed us only 
to feel for Him the love of a child for a Father — 
while every human heart, at times, feels the need of a 
Mother-love from God. God is not a male being — nor 
is he a female. Both of these forms are but partial 
manifestations of Him, and he includes all forms within 
Himself — and many unknown to us to-day. 

The Bhakti Yogi knows that by this constant love of 
God he will grow nearer to Him, and will in the end 
come to a consciousness and "knowing" of the true 
relationship between them. The lover of God who 
has not advanced beyond the Gauni Bhakti stage, 
knows nothing of the wealth of love and nearness ex- 
perienced by the one in the Para Bhakti stage. The 
one may be compared to the little child who is fond 
of its playmate, and thinks he knows what love is — 
the other is like the same child, grown to maturity, 
who feels the sweep of deep, pure and noble love for 
his true mate. The one touches God at but one point, 
at the best, while *he other finds that God responds to 
every human need, and may be touched at a thousand 
points — He is always there, just as is the sun, and all 
that one needs is to step out into the sunshine. Noth- 



BHAKTI YOGA. 185 

ing is asked by the sun, but the stepping out, and noth- 
ing is asked by God but the same thing— the need of 
Him. 

The Western student must not suppose that this 
Bhakti Yoga love of God is akin to the hysterical, emo- 
tional thing he sees in his own countries among the 
followers of certain sects of church-people. On the 
contrary the followers of this form of Yoga are gen- 
erally men of dignified bearing, and deep knowledge. 
They do not roll around shouting "Glory, glory," and 
working themselves up into a frenzy of emotional ex- 
citement. Instead, they go through life— doing their 
work, and living their lives— but filled with a deep and 
abiding sense of the love of God, coming from their 
consciousness of their relationship to, and nearness to 
Him, and from the consciousness of His accessibility. 
They realize that in Him, indeed, do they live and move 
and have their being, and that He is not a being afar 
off, but is right here, all the time, nearer than one's 
very body. They are not "goody-goody" people, but 
men and women who see God everywhere, in every- 
thing, and who feel that they are worshiping Him in 
every act. They seek diligently the Kingdom of 
Heaven, but they realize that the Kingdom of Heaven 
is within themselves, and also all around them. They 
feel in Heaven every moment of their lives. They 
worship God, all the time, everywhere ; in every act— 
they know that every act is a service to Him, and that 
every place is His Temple. They feel constantly filled 
with the Power of God— constantly within his sight 
and knowledge— constantly in His Presence. And 



1 86 ADVANCED COURSE. 

they fear not — Love fills them so completely that there 
is no room for anything else. Love casts out all Fear, 
for them. Every day is Sunday to such people — every 
hill, plain, field, and house is the Temple. To them 
every man is His priest — every woman His priestess — 
every child an attendant at His altar. They are able 
to pierce the disguise of man, woman and child, and 
to see the soul underneath the often hideous fleshly 
covering. 

The Bhakti Yogi does not feel that God demands 
Man's love, or that He holds favors and benefits as a 
reward for those who love Him, or reserves punish- 
ments and penalties for those who do not manifest 
such love. On the contrary, his idea of God would 
cause him to regard such an idea as unworthy of a 
true lover of God. He knows that God is above such 
primitive feelings and characteristics. He knows that 
the love of God extends to all of his children, without 
regard to whether or not they love Him or worship 
Him. They know that God does not demand services 
or duty ; worship, or even reverence. They compare 
God to the sun which is no respecter of persons or 
motives, and which shines on the just and unjust alike 
— his rays being open even to those who deny his ex- 
istence. But the Bhakti Yogi also knows that there is 
a reward and benefit awaiting those who open them- 
selves to God's love — not as an act depending upon 
God's favor, but as an effect resulting from the act 
of Man. Just as the man who steps out into the warm 
rays of the sun is relieved of cold, and is thus rewarded 
for his act, so is the man rewarded who steps out in 



BHAKTI YOGA. 187 

the sunshine of God's love which is there awaiting his 
coming, and is thus relieved of the cold resulting from 
a failure to take advantage of the warmth of such 
love. It is not to be wondered that throughout many 
Oriental writings the Sun is used as a symbol of the 
Absolute. We find this symbol used in nearly all sa- 
cred writings, even in the Bible, which, of course, is 
of Oriental origin. 

Some of these ideas about God may seem strange 
to the Western student, but if he will take the trouble 
to look into the matter he will find that this idea runs 
along through the Christian teachings like a golden 
thread upon which the beads of the teaching is strung. 
Christ's teachings are full of this truth, which, how- 
ever, has been lost sight of during the centuries. The 
early Christians saw these truths plainly, as may be 
seen by a reading of the works of some of the early 
fathers of the church, but the theologians have built 
much rubbish around the early teachings so that un- 
less one looks under the surface the central truths are 
not seen. 

The Bhakti Yogi prays to God. In the elementary 
stages of Gaunt Bhakti he may word his prayers so 
that they seem to be asking God for favors — this, later, 
is discarded. The man of crude spiritual discernment 
may come to God as a beggar, asking for this thing 
and that (usually material benefit). A little later on, 
Man sees that this is not the way to approach God, and 
he asks to be given strength and courage and to be 
helped in spiritual unfoldment. In this stage the man 
thinks that God rewards the prayer by bestowing 



188 ADVANCED COURSE. 

strength and courage and the rest, just as a king may 
bestow gifts to those asking for them. But the Yogi 
who follows the road of Para-Bhakti does not expect 
rewards of this kind, and yet he obtains the richest 
rewards. He knows that prayer does not help God, 
nor does God delight in being besought and praised in 
prayer. And yet prayer is of the greatest benefit to 
Man, for, by means of it, he brings himself in tune 
with the Infinite, and opens himself to the strength, 
courage, and wisdom that comes from the nearness to 
God — the nearness to the Centre of Power and Wis- 
dom. This is the secret of prayer. The man who prays 
earnestly — from the heart — brings himself into a closer 
touch with the Absolute. No word may be uttered, but 
the mental condition of prayer brings man into a form 
of union with God, and allows the strength and wis- 
dom of the Infinite to flow freely to him. And yet 
the most of us prefer to use words, and find them a 
great help in producing the proper condition of mind. 
But the words are merely helps to that end. God 
does not need to be spoken to in words — when the 
finite mind calls to the Infinite Mind its message is 
heard and understood. 

Prayer to be efficacious must not be mere lip-service 
— mere parrot-like repetition of words, for such per- 
formances do not tend to open up the mind to the in* 
flow of the Divine Strength and Wisdom. One must 
have a heart-to-heart talk with God. Not that God 
needs to be told what we want — He knows far better 
than we do — but by a heartfelt confession and talk we 
ppen up our mind properly — we uncover the empty 



BHAKTI YOGA. 189 

vessels needing filling, and the Divine pours into the 
void. The Divine Power and Wisdom is ours, if we 
but open ourselves to it. That is all there is to it. It 
is as free as the air and sunshine, but we must remove 
the barriers that we have erected. We have imagined 
God to be afar off from us, and we must cultivate the 
consciousness that he is right Here — Now. Talk to 
God as you would to your Father, or Mother, or loved 
Child, or Friend, or Husband or Wife, or Lover. He 
is all this and more, and whatever form represents to 
you the closest relationship, that is the form to use. 
Realize the sense of the nearness of God, and He will 
be near. Fine words are not necessary — use the same 
words that you would in addressing the person dearest 
to you and who loves you the best. God does not sit 
as a king on his throne, expecting you to prostrate 
yourself at his feet and stammer out your message. He 
bids you seat yourself beside Him, and He places His 
arm around you — makes you feel at home — and you 
forget your fear and bashfulness and tell him your 
story in your own words. 

Do not imagine that God needs your advice or sug- 
gestions. You must have the utmost confidence in 
Him, and know that He will abide with you, and guide 
your steps. Your mind will be filled with the knowl- 
edge that will enable you to know how to act — you 
will then be given the strength to act. If the mind 
does not seem able to grasp the situation — if no way 
opens out before you — open yourself to the inflow of 
the Divine, and you will be led by the Spirit to see 
the first step to be taken — then take that first step in 



Tpo ADVANCED COURSE. 

confidence. This is not mere "churchy" talk, such as 
has been poured into your ears from every pulpit as a 
matter of form. It is a great reality, and thousands 
live in this way. You gradually will gain courage and 
confidence in leading this life, and will begin to realize 
what a great field has been opened to your view. 

The main idea in considering one's relation to God, 
is the fact that God is the great Centre of Life. He 
is the centre, and we are like atoms in the rays emanat- 
ing from that centre. We are not apart from Him, 
although we are not the centre itself. We are con- 
nected with Him, as the rays are connected with the 
sun. The power and wisdom flowing out along the 
rays are ours, if we but elect to use them, and allow 
them to use us. The little wheel in the centre of the 
symbol used by the publishers of these lessons (found 
on the front of the cover of all their books) — the lit- 
tle wheel within the triangle — represents this truth. 
The symbol is imperfect, for it shows that the rays 
terminate, while the rays of the Absolute never ter- 
minate — they are infinite. But infinity cannot be rep- 
resented by finite symbols, and so a circle must be 
drawn around the rays, which circle represents the 
finite understanding of Man. If you will but fix this 
idea of God and His emanations in your mind, you will 
find yourself gradually growing into a better realiza- 
tion of the matter. The Centre is pure Spirit — God — 
and as we unfold spiritually we draw nearer and nearer 
to that centre. Those in whom the Spirit has not man- 
ifested. so freely as in us are farther removed from the 
centre than are we. And these who are further ad- 



BHAKTI YOGA. 191 

vanced spiritually are still nearer it than are we. The 
further from the centre, the more material is the atom. 
The nearer the centre, the more spiritual does it be- 
come. There are far off from this planet, atoms of a 
still greater degree of materiality than we can dream 
of. And closer in to the centre are beings so far ad- 
vanced beyond Man in the spiritual scale as to be im- 
possible of comprehension to his intellect. Man, as we 
know him, is only midway between the two extremes 
of conscious life. There are intelligent beings as far 
above us in the scale as we are above the jelly-fish. 
And yet even the jelly-fish, and still lower forms, are 
within the circle of the Divine Love. Then why should 
we fear — why should we lose courage? We cannot 
die — we cannot be wiped out of existence — we are 
parts of a mighty Whole, ever advancing toward the 
centre — ever unfolding and growing. The why and 
wherefore of it all is wrapped within the Central In- 
telligence, although as Man advances spiritually he be- 
gins to grasp fragments of the truth. As he advances 
toward the Centre he grows in Power and Wisdom — 
both Divine attributes. All Power and Wisdom em- 
anate from the Centre, and the nearer we approach the 
Centre the more powerful are the rays that beat upon 
us. The Divine Attributes — -Omnipotence, Omnis- 
cience, Omnipresence — are partaken of by us in an 
increasing ratio as we approach the Centre. This is a 
hint of a mighty truth — are you prepared to receive it ? 
Do not for a moment imagine that the lover of God 
need assume an unnatural mode of life in order to 
please Deity. Let him lead a perfectly natural life. 



192 ADVANCED COURSE. 

entering into all the occupations, recreations and pleas- 
ures that he may see fit. Be free to choose, and neither 
force yourself into things, nor away from them. Do 
not imagine that a stern, serious expression is more 
pleasing to God than a smiling, cheerful face. Just 
be natural — that's all. The man or woman who feels 
the love of God flowing through him, is apt to be of a 
happy, cheerful disposition — radiating sunshine every- 
where. He need not be afraid to laugh, and sing, and 
dance, if he feels like it, for these things are all good 
if we use them and do not let them use us. Let us 
enjoy the sun, the rain, the heat, the cold. Let us 
delight in the plain, the mountain, the sunrise, the sun- 
set. Let us enjoy to the full the things of Nature. The 
closer we get to God, the closer do we enjoy the things 
of Nature. Let us lead the natural, simple life. Let 
us make the best of everything, and turn everything 
to good account. Let us be sunny — let us be sweet. 
Let the keynote of our life be "Joy, joy, joy !" 

Edward Carpenter, in one of his poems, voices this 
sense of joy that comes to him who feels the great love 
of God surging through him, and who recognizes the 
nature of this God, and who feels his relationship to 
Him. He says : 

"I arise out of the dewy night and shake my wings. Tears 
and lamentations are no more. Life and death lie stretched 
before me. I breathe the sweet aether blowing of the breath 
of God. 

"Deep as the universe is my life — and I know it; nothing 
can dislodge the knowledge of it; nothing can destroy, noth- 
ing can harm me. 

"Joy, joy arises — I arise. The sun darts overpowering 
piercing rays of joy through me, the night radiates it from 
me, I take wingg through the night and pass through all 



BHAKTI YOGA. 193 

the wildernesses of the worlds, and the old dark holds of 
tears and death — and return with laughter, laughter, laughter. 
Sailing through the starlit spaces on outspread wings, we 
two — laughter! laughter! laughter!" 

The true lover of God is an optimist. He looks for 
— and finds — the bright side of things. He is able to 
extract sunshine from the darkest corner. He walks 
through life with a smile, a cheerful song, an abiding 
faith in the Absolute. He loves all of Life, and car- 
ries a message of hope, and courage, and a helpful sug- 
gestion to all. He is broad and tolerant — merciful and 
forgiving — devoid of hate, envy, and malice — 'free from 
fear and worry. He minds his own business, and 
grants all the same privilege. He is full of Love, and 
radiates it to all the world. He goes through life in 
his own sunny way, joyfully meeting things that drive 
others to despair and misery — he passes over the stony 
road unharmed. His peace comes from within — and 
all who meet him feel his presence. He does not seek 
after friends or love — these things come to him as his 
right, for he attracts them. He is as much at home in 
the tenement of the laborer as in the palace of the 
wealthy — both places seem as home to him, and their 
occupants on a level. Brother to both saint and sinner 
is he, and he loves them both — for he feels that each 
is doing his best. He looks for good in the sinner, 
rather than for sin in the saint. He knows that he 
himself is not without sin, so he casts not the stone. 
The outcast recognizes in him a brother — the woman 
who has passed through the fiery furnace trusts him 
and is not afraid, for she knows that he understands, 
f-fe, being near the sun, knows that it shines on saint 



194 ADVANCED COURSE. 

and sinner — he feels that when God withholds his sun- 
beams from his most disobedient child, then may man 
withhold his love from his most degraded sister or 
brother. He does not condemn — he does not attempt 
to usurp God's prerogative. He works and works 
well. He finds joy in his work. He likes to create 
things — and he is proud of that desire for he feels that 
it is an inheritance from his father. He does not hurry, 
nor is he rushed. He has plenty of time — all the time 
there is — for eternity lasts a long time, and he is in it 
now. He has an abiding faith in the Absolute. He 
believes in Infinite Justice and Ultimate Good. He 
knows that the Father is near him, for he has felt the 
pressure of the Unseen Hand. In the darkness of the 
night he has felt his Father's presence — by the glare 
of the flash of illumination he has seen His form for 
a moment, and that memory is burned into his mind. 
He is simple, loving, kind. He is a prophecy of the 
future. If you would be like him — if you feel the call 
—do not resist, but answer cheerfully, "I hear ; I obey ; 
I come." When you feel the impulse, do not resist — 
open yourself to the Sun — receive its rays — and all will 
be well. Be not afraid — have within you the love that 
casteth out fear — place your hand in that of the Abso- 
lute, and say : "Lead Thou me on." After long ages 
of wandering, you are coming home. 

Perhaps you think that you do love God — do know 
how to love Him. Listen to this Hindu fable, and then 
see if you do. The fable runs thusly: 

Once upon a time a chela (student) came to a Yogi 
guru (teacher) and asked to be taught the higher 



BHAKTI YOGA. 195 

stages of Para-Bhakti. He said that he did not need the 
preliminary stages, as he already knew how to love 
God. The Yogi merely smiled at the youth. He came 
again and again, making the same demand, and receiv- 
ing the same answer. At last he became very impa- 
tient, and insisted upon an explanation of the Yogi's 
conduct. 

Then the Yogi took the youth to a great river, and 
leading him out into it, he plunged him beneath the 
water, and firmly held him there. The young man 
fought and struggled, but could not raise his head 
above the surface. At last the Yogi raised him out 
of the water, and asked him : "Son, what did'st thou 
desire most when under the water?" "A breath of 
air," replied the youth, gaspingly. "Yea, verily," said 
the Yogi, "when thou desirest God as much as thou 
didst desire the breath of air, then wilt thou be ready 
for the higher stage of Bhakti — then indeed wilt thou 
love God." 

Peace be to thee ! 



LESSON VIII. 

Dharma. 

"Dharma" is a Sanscrit word which is translated into 
English as "Virtue"; "Duty"; "Law"; "Righteous- 
ness''; etc. None of these English words convey just 
the exact meaning of Dharma. We cannot improve 
one these definitions, but we may adopt one which fits 
closer into our particular conception of the truth of 
Dharma, so we will consider that, for the purposes of 
this lesson, "Dharma" means "Right-Action." To be 
more definite, we might say that Dharma is the rule of 
action and life best adapted to the requirements of the 
individual soul, and best calculated to aid that particu- 
lar soul in the next highest step in its development. 
When we speak of a man's Dharma we mean the high- 
est course of action for him, considering his develop- 
ment and the immediate needs of his soul. 

We think that this lesson will be timely and will an- 
swer the demands of many of our students. We hear, 
on all sides, the old question, "What is right ?" People 
are not satisfied with the old answers, which seem to 
belong to the past, and which make certain forms, cere- 
monies and observances equally as important, if not 
more so, that right-action and right-thinking. The 
advanced student sees the absurdity of the old divisions 
of "right and wrong," and knows that many things 
which have been condemned as "wrong" are "wrong" 
only because certain men arbitrarily have called them 

w 



ig8 ADVANCED COURSE. 

so — and that many things that have been called "right" 
are "right" only from the same reason. He looks 
around him and sees that right and wrong seem to dif- 
fer with latitude and longitude, and that the concep- 
tions of right and wrong vary with the ages and con- 
stantly are changing; being modified, improved upon, 
or rejected. This being the case, the student is apt to be 
puzzled regarding a code of ethics — he has lost his old 
landmarks and standards, and finds himself puzzled to 
determine with what to measure right and wrong. On 
one side he hears the old doctrines of this or that mere 
matter of form of observance, dogmatic and unreason- 
able, which his soul rejects as outgrown and inade- 
quate for its present needs. On the other hand, he 
hears the new doctrine of "All is Good" being preached 
vigorously, often by those who have not the slightest 
conception of the real meaning of the words — and this 
new doctrine is not satisfactory to the average student, 
for his conscience tells him that certain courses of con- 
duct are "right" and others "wrong" (although often 
he is not able to tell just why he so considers them). 
And so the student is apt to become quite puzzled. 

To add to his confusion, he recognizes the fact that 
what may seem "right" to him, is utterly incompre- 
hensible to some men of his acquaintance who are not 
so far advanced spiritually — they are not able to grasp 
his high standard and ideals. He also notices that some 
of the things that, even to him, seem the natural and 
right things for these undeveloped men to do (that is, 
seem better than other things they have been doing) 
would be "wrong" for him, the advanced man, to do, 



DHARMA, 199 

because they would mean going backward. Among 
other things, he sees these undeveloped men being in- 
fluenced to "right" doing, and deterred from "wrong" 
doing, by promises of reward and threats of punish- 
ment, which appear most unworthy and selfish to those 
who believe in doing right for right's sake. And yet, he 
is forced to see that these people apparently need some 
such artificial stimulus and deterrent, for they are in- 
capable of grasping the higher ideals of ethics. 

These, and countless other questions, arise to per- 
plex the student, and to make him feel that the old 
foundations have slipped from under his feet, and no 
other safe foothold has presented itself to view. We 
think that this little lesson on that phase of the Yogi 
Philosophy which is called "Dharma," will help him 
to find his way — will aid in pointing out the path that 
he has lost sight of, momentarily, by reason of the thick 
growth of underbrush which covers the particular spot 
now being traveled by him. The subject is too large 
to cover in the space before us, but we hope to be able 
to point out a few general principles, which may be 
taken up by the student, and followed out to their log- 
ical conclusion. 

Let us take a brief view of the general question of 
Ethics, and some of the theories regarding the same. 
Ethics is defined as "The Science of Conduct," and 
it treats of the desire to render harmonious the rela- 
tionship of a man and his fellows. There are three 
theories of Ethics among Western people, known as 
follows: (1) The theory of Revelation; (2) The The- 
ory of Intuition; and, (3) The theory of Utility; As 



200 ADVANCED COURSE. 

a rule, the advocate of any one of these three systems 
claims his particular system to be the only true one, and 
the other two to be errors. The Yogi Philosophy recog- 
nizes truth in each and all of the three systems, and 
gives each its place in what it calls "Dharma." In 
order to get a clearer idea of Dharma, we must take 
a brief look at each of these three systems, taken sep- 
arately. 

The system of Ethics based upon the Theory of Rev- 
elation, holds that the only basis for morality and right- 
conduct is Divine Revelation, coming through prophets, 
priests and teachers, called by many names. The laws 
given out by these men, as having been received by 
them from God, have been accepted, more or less sub- 
missively, by all races in certain stages of their develop- 
ment, although their conception of the God, who had 
given out these laws, differed very materially. These 
laws, so far as their great underlying principles were 
concerned, resembled each other very much, although 
they differed widely in detail, and minor laws and pre- 
cepts. The great religious books of all races contain 
a more or less complete code of ethics, which the peo- 
ple are enjoined to obey implicitly without regard to 
reason or their own opinions, these codes, however, 
being subject to the interpretation of the highest re- 
ligious authorities of the race. Each race regards the 
precepts of its religious books, as interpreted by its 
priests, as supreme authority, and, of course, view the 
similar claims of other races as spurious. The majority 
of these religions have split up into sects and denomi- 
nations, each having its favored interpretation of the 



DHARMA. 201 

sacred teachings, but all rely on the original revela- 
tion as the only truth concerning ethics. And then, 
again, each race has modified its original conception of 
the revealed teachings, fitting their ideas to the con- 
stantly changing requirements of the age. As a race 
evolves its wants and needs change, and its sacred 
teachings are twisted and bent to fit the changed condi- 
tions. The priests, in such cases, say that God un- 
doubtedly meant "this and that," instead of "thus and 
so" as their fathers had supposed. So that after a time 
the authority of the code of ethics rests largely upon the 
interpretation of priests and teachers, rather than upon 
the words of the supposed Divine revelation itself. The 
followers of the other two schools of ethics object that 
if Deity had intended to promulgate a code of ethics — 
a rule of conduct — applicable to all men in all time, He 
would have worded it so clearly that it could not be 
misunderstood even by the most ignorant, and His 
wisdom would have enabled Him to have foreseen the 
growing needs of the people, and, consequently, He 
would have provided for such needs, either in the origi- 
nal revelation itself, or in "supplements" thereto. We 
will consider the advantages and disadvantages of this 
theory later on in this lesson. 

The second system of ethics advances the theory that 
Man knows right and wrong intuitively — that Deity 
imparts to each man, through his conscience, an instinc- 
tive knowledge of good and evil, that he may govern 
himself accordingly. This school urges that men must 
refer the details of his conduct to his own conscience. 
It overlooks the fact that the consciences of no two peo- 



202 ADVANCED COURSE. 

pie are exactly alike, and that such a theory implies 
that there may be as many different standards of mor- 
ality and conduct as there are people, and that the 
statement "My conscience approves of it" would pre- 
clude any argument as to ethics. As to what con- 
science is, the writers differ. Some say that it is the 
higher portion of the mind speaking to man. Some say 
that it is merely the sub-conscious mind repeating what 
has been suggested into it, and that consciences grow 
with experience and change with environment. Some 
claim that it is the voice of God speaking to the soul. 
Others have still other explanations and theories. We 
shall consider this theory at greater length a little 
further on in this lesson. 

The third system of ethics rests upon the theory of 
utility, or what is known as utilitarianism, which latter 
word is defined as "the doctrine that virtue is founded 
on utility," or ''the doctrine that the greatest happiness 
of the greatest number should be the aim of all social 
and political institutions." — (Webster.) This is the 
theory upon which human law is supposed to be based. 
Blackstone, the great expounder of the English Law, 
states that human laws are based upon "the law of na- 
ture," which law of nature he tells us are based upon 
the laws of God — eternal immutable laws of good and 
evil — which the Creator causes to become evident to 
Man by means of human reason. Blackstone goes on to 
say that "This law of nature, being coeval with man- 
kind, and dictated by God himself, is of course superior 
in obligation to any other; no human laws are of any 
validity if contrary to this; and such of them as are 



DHARMA. 203 

valid derive all their force, and all their authority, me- 
diately or immediately, from this original." All this 
sounds beautifully simple, and one is led to wonder how- 
it is that civilized life is not heaven on earth, until he 
remembers the state of modern law-making and law- 
administering, which, however, is an improvement on 
that of former days. It seems so easy to speak of the 
"law of nature," but so difficult to apply that law to de- 
tails of life, and to administer it. Blackstone, himself, 
recognizes this fact, and says : "If our reason were al- 
ways clear and perfect, the task would be pleasant and 
easy; we should need no other guide but this: But 
every man now finds the contrary in his own experi- 
ence; that his reason is corrupt, and his understand- 
ing full of ignorance and error." The man who has 
had much experience in courts and the processes of 
"justice" will be apt to agree with the great English 
lawyer, in his last quoted remarks. While it is true 
that the laws of a nation represent the average of its 
best conceptions of ethics, still the conceptions change 
more rapidly than the law, and the latter is always a lit- 
tle "behind the times" as compared with public opinion 
and conception of right and wrong. And many are the 
loop-holes of man-made law, and the shrewd law- 
breaker may safely commit almost any of the great of- 
fenses against the current conceptions of morality, pro- 
viding he does it cleverly enough. Some men have 
a code of ethics of their own, which holds that no 
"wrong" is committed providing no law is technically 
broken, and so they scheme and plan, aided by "able 
counsel," to attain their ends without violating the let- 



204 ADVANCED COURSE. 

ter of the law. This danger being avoided, their con- 
sciences are easy. This is a very easy and simple theory 
of conduct, for those who can live under it. Justinian, 
the great Roman law-giver, reduced the whole doctrine 
of human law to three general precepts, as follows: 
"Live honestly ; Hurt nobody ; and Render to every one 
his due." This is a simple and beautiful code, and its 
honest adoption by mankind would make the world 
over in a day, but nearly every man is inclined to place 
his own interpretation upon each of the three precepts, 
and, consciously or unconsciously, stretches them in his 
own favor and against his fellows. It is very difficult 
for one, in the present state of the world to tell just 
what it is to "be honest" ; to live so that he will "hurt 
nobody"; or to "render unto everyone his due" — or 
even to tell just what everyone's due really is. How- 
ever, as an example of the reason's conception of proper 
conduct, Justinian's precept is well worth remembering, 
with the purpose of following it as closely as may be. 
It will appeal to those who instinctively wish to give 
all "a square deal," so far as may be, but who are un- 
able to grasp the still higher teachings. But even those 
who can manage to live up to Justinian's precepts, will 
fall far short of satisfying their neighbors, who will 
insist upon the observance of certain other things — 
many of them most ridiculous things — that have grown 
to be the custom, or which are insisted upon by certain 
so-called religious "authorities," not to speak of the 
civil ones. 

The followers of the Utilitarian school of ethics dif- 
fer one from the other in their explanations of the cause 



DHARMA. 205 

and history of ethics and rules of human conduct, some 
thinking that it arose from God speaking through man's 
reason, and others taking the more material view that 
ethics, laws, morals, and rules of conduct are the prod- 
uct of the evolution of the race — the result of accumu- 
lated experiences, the trying of this and of that until a 
fair average has been obtained. Of course to the latter 
class, morals and rules of conduct are purely matters 
of the reason of Man, having nothing to do with Divine 
Law, or Spiritual Knowledge. Herbert Spencer, the 
great English scientist, is perhaps the best exponent of 
this last named school, his work, "The Data of Ethics," 
being a masterpiece of reasoning along these lines. 

Dharma takes cognizance of each and all of these 
three schools of ethics, seeing that each has a bit of 
truth in it, and that all, combined, and welded with the 
cement of the occult teachings, make a mighty whole. 
We will show how these apparently conflicting sys- 
tems may be reconciled. But before doing so it may 
be better to take another look at the three systems 
above mentioned, making an analysis of the objections 
to each as a complete theory, so that we may see the 
weakness of any one theory taken by itself as well as the 
strength of the three when combined and joined to- 
gether with the teachings of Dharma. Let us take them 
up in the order given above. 

(1.) The Theory of Revelation. The principal 
objection urged against this theory, by the advocates of 
the other theories, is that there is not sufficient proof of 
the truth of the revelation. Priests always have claimed 
to be the mouthpieces of the Almighty, and the reve- 



206 ADVANCED COURSE. 

lations have come through these priests in all ages. 
The advocates of the utilitarian theory of ethics claim 
that these so-called revelations (when the rule of con- 
duct given out was really for the good of the people, 
rather than for the benefit of the priests) were really 
the result of the superior reasoning of the prophet, who, 
being head and shoulders above his people, could see 
what was best for their needs, and accordingly com- 
piled such rules of conduct into more or less complete 
codes, stating that they had been given direct by God 
through the prophet, the priest placing the authorship 
upon God rather than upon himself, knowing that the 
people would be more apt to respect and obey a Divine 
command than one emanating from a mere man. The 
advocates of the intuitional theory hold that the so- 
called "revelations" really arose from the conscience 
and intuition of the prophet, who being a more ad- 
vanced man than his people would be apt to sense more 
clearly the voice of the spirit, but who would attribute 
the voice of conscience to God, and who, accordingly 
would so give out the message. The intuition of the 
people would enable them to see the brightness" of the 
so-called Divine message, and they would accept same 
with the approval of their consciences. Another ob- 
jection raised against the Theory of Revelation is that 
there are many so-called revelations, differing materially 
in detail — each religion having its own set of revela- 
tions, through its own prophets and teachers. It is 
held that if God wished to reveal a code of morals to 
His people, his revelations would agree, and would be 
given in such a way that there could be no mistaking 



DHARMA. 207 

them. It is also held that it is impossible to regard any 
one of these numerous revelations as authoritative, ow- 
ing to the impossibility of selecting any one from the 
great number, as each prophet made equally strong 
claims that he received the revelation direct from God, 
and there is no Supreme Court to pass finally upon 
the matter. It is also objected to that many of the 
things claimed to have been directed by God have no 
real connection with morality, but deal with the details 
of the life of the people, such as the mode of slaugh- 
tering animals ; the selection of kinds of food ; various 
religious ceremonials, etc., which are as strictly en- 
joined as are the rules of conduct, and are equally en- 
titled to be regarded as examples of "right and wrong." 
Then, again, there are many things sanctioned in these 
so-called revelations that are contrary to our modern 
conceptions of morality. Divine commands were given 
to kill enemies in a most barbarous fashion, which the 
law of nations now prohibits, and only savage nations 
now follow. In such a case it would seem that the in- 
tuition or reason of man has raised a higher ideal than 
did God. The same is true of polygamy and slavery, 
which are not prohibited by the so-called Divine reve- 
lations, but which are sanctioned and allowed. A num- 
ber of similar objections are urged against the theory 
of the divine revelation of ethics, but the main objection 
seems to be that there is not sufficient proof of the truth 
of the revelation, and that reason teaches that the so- 
called revelations were simply the result of the human 
reason of the prophets, and were promulgated either 
with the idea of keeping the people orderly and pros- 



2o8 ADVANCED COURSE. 

perous, or else, to keep the priesthood in power and 
authority, or both reasons. The Yogi Philosophy of 
Dharma recognizes these objections, but answers them 
in its system, as we shall see later on. 

(2) The Theory of Intuition. The objection 
to this theory, most frequently advanced, is that the 
conscience is merely the result of one's teachings; en- 
vironment ; race ; temperament ; age ; etc, — that the 
conscience of one man may make it seem wrong to kill 
a fly, while that of another may make it seem right to 
kill an enemy — that the conscience of one may make 
it seem wrong not to share one's all with a stray comer, 
or to hold any property as one's own, while the con- 
science of another (a Whitechapel pickpocket, for in- 
stance), may cause him to perfectly justify himself in 
stealing whatever he may lay his hands upon, and even 
reprove him for not taking advantage of an opportunity 
to do so. The conscience of certain of the criminal 
classes is akin to that of the cat which sees no harm 
in stealing the cream or bit of meat, and is only deterred 
by fear of punishment. The student of human na- 
ture, people and history, knows that conscience is 
largely a matter of race, time, environment and tem- 
perament, and he would hesitate at accepting the voice 
of the conscience of any particular man as a fit source 
or authority for a code of morals for all people, at all 
times. He sees that the rules of conduct emanating 
from the conscience of an undeveloped man would be 
far below the standard of the average man of our own 
times, while that given forth by the conscience of a 
highly developed man would be impossible of compli- 



DHARMA. 209 

ance with on the part of the average of our race today, 
by reason of its high precepts and fine distinctions of 
thought and conduct. And then "conscience" has made 
people do some things which our own "conscience" of 
today tells us is "wrong." P'eople have been burned 
at the stake — have had holes bored in their tongues — 
have been tortured physically and mentally at the dic- 
tates of the consciences of the persecutors, who were 
just as sincere as those whom they persecuted. 

If the principle of "conscience" were implicitly fol- 
lowed, the "conscience" of the majority might make 
things very unpleasant for the minority, as it has hap- 
pened many times in the past. So, you see, the theory 
that "conscience" as an infallible guide may be attacked 
severely by its opponents. And yet, the Yogi Philoso- 
phy of Dharma, while recognizing these objections, 
also sees much truth in the theory of intuition or "con- 
science," and welds it into place in its system, as we 
shall see later on in this lesson. 

(3) The Theory of Utility. This theory often 
is attacked severely on the ground that it is a purely 
selfish idea — that the basis of morality offered is "hap- 
piness" — the happiness of the individual modified by 
the happiness of those around him — "the greatest hap- 
piness to the greatest number," in short — and that such 
a basis fails to recognize the higher destiny of man, be- 
ing based entirely upon his earthly and material exist- 
ence. To this the utilitarian very naturally answers 
that any code of conduct has a more or less selfish 
basis, inasmuch as a man doing certain things, and re- 
fraining from doing certain other things, by reason of 



210 ADVANCED COURSE. 

hope of Divine approval and reward, or fear of Divine 
displeasure and punishment, is as selfish as one who is 
actuated by the idea of material happiness or unhappi- 
ness. Another objection urged is that acting under it 
the average man would be impelled to get as much hap- 
piness for himself as possible, and to bestow as little 
happiness upon others as he could help, as there would 
be no reason why he should act otherwise — in fact, that 
he would obey the letter of the human law, and not go 
one inch further. Theoretically this objection might be 
correct, but, in spite of cold theory, man is open to 
higher impulses and motives coming from regions of 
his soul that the utilitarian philosophy, as well as its 
opponents, fail to recognize. A form of this same objec- 
tion is found in the idea that the utilitarian philosophy 
appeals only to the developed intelligence (that is, ac- 
cording to the view of the Yogi Philosophy, to the 
highly evolved soul) and that the ordinary man would 
not be influenced by it to high action, but, if he grasped 
it at all, would use it as an excuse for his own selfish- 
ness, caring nothing for the welfare of his fellow men, 
or for the benefit of the generations to come. The ob- 
jectors hold that according to this theory a man 
working for the good of his kind is the great- 
est kind of a fool, for he is throwing away 
his happiness and material gain for a senti- 
ment. (This objection loses sight of the fact that 
the advanced man finds much of his greatest happiness 
in making others happy.) A further objection is urged 
against this theory of ethics to the effect that the hap- 
piness of the majority is an unworthy limitation, inas- 



DHARMA. 211 

much that even though the majority be happy the mi- 
nority may not be so, and, in fact, a certain number of 
them must be very unhappy and miserable. This ob- 
jection finds a response from those of spiritual advance- 
ment, for such people know that no one can be thor- 
oughly happy unless all are happy, and that there can be 
no ideal happiness if even one of the race is crowded 
out of it by any set code or rule. The followers of the 
theory that all morality is derived from Divine revela- 
tion, and there is no morality to be found outside of it, 
object to the utilitarian view because they say "it leaves 
out God and His wishes." Those favoring the Intu- 
itional Theory object to the Utilitarian Theory because 
it refuses to recognize the existence of the "conscience" 
or higher reason in man, and instead, places the basis 
and foundation of all morality and rules of conduct 
upon the cold human reason, and that, consequently, 
there can be no "good" or "bad" except as measured 
by the intellectual standard, which standard could be 
altered, changed, improved upon, or abolished by Man's 
reason. These objections are recognized, and answered 
in the Hindu Philosophy of Dharma, which, while rec- 
ognizing the weakness of the theory when considered 
as the "whole truth," still finds much truth in it and 
places it as one of the pillars of Dharma, the other 
two theories forming the other two supports of the 
structure. 

Dharma claims to set in order this apparent confu- 
sion. It recognizes each view as a partially correct one 
— parts of the whole truth — but too weak and incom- 
plete when standing alone. It reconciles the conflicting 



212 ADVANCED COURSE. 

schools by taking the materials that are found in each, 
and using them to build a complete system. Or, rather, 
it finds a complete structure erected, in the order of the 
Universe, and sees that each school of thinkers is look- 
ing at but one of its pillars, mistaking its favored pillar 
for the sole support of the structure, the other two be- 
ing hidden from sight by reason of the particular point 
of view of the observer. And this teaching of Dharma 
is much needed at this time by the Western people who 
are in a state of great mental and spiritual confusion 
on the subject of morality and conduct. They are di- 
vided between (i) those who rely on revelation, and 
who disregard it in practice because it is not "practi- 
cal" — these people really advocate revelation as modi- 
fied by experience and custom; (2), Those who claim 
to rely on intuition and conscience, but who feel that 
they are resting on an insecure foundation, and who 
really live on custom and "the law of the land," modified 
by their "feelings"; and, (3) those who rely on pure 
reason, modified by the existing laws, and influenced 
greatly by the impulses which come to them from the 
higher regions of the mind, notwithstanding that they 
deny these same higher states of mentality. Let us 
hope that a study of Dharma will help to straighten out 
matters for some of us. Of course, this little lesson is 
merely a hint of the truths of Dharma, but we trust 
that it may help some to adjust the matter in their 
minds, and make it easier for them to get their moral 
bearings, and to take advantage of the truths that are 
pouring in on them from the three sides of life. Let 
us now see what Dharma has to offer . 



DHARMA. 213 

In our brief consideration of the subject, we must 
ask the student to give us the "Open Mind." That is, 
be willing to lay aside, for the moment, his preconceived 
ideas and theories, and to listen to our teachings with- 
out prejudice, as far as possible, without being unduly 
influenced by his previously entertained theories. We 
do not ask him to accept our teachings unless they ap- 
peal to his reason and intuition, but we do ask him to 
give us a fair hearing — that is, the hearing of an un- 
prejudiced judge instead of that of a paid advocate 
ready to pick flaws and make objections before we state 
our case. That is all we ask, and it is no more than 
any fair-minded student should be willing to grant. 
We are not attempting to tell you how to act, but wish 
merely to present the general principles of Dharma for 
your consideration. 

Perhaps thet better way to begin our consideration of 
the philosophy of Dharma would be to give you an idea 
of how that philosophy views the three above men- 
tioned theories of the basis of morality and rule of 
conduct. We shall take up each theory in turn. But 
before doing so we must ask you to bear in mind the 
fundamental theory of the Yogi Philosophy that all 
souls are growing souls — souls in different stages of 
growth and advancement along The Path. Spiritual 
evolution is in full force, and each soul builds upon its 
yesterdays, and, at the same time, is laying a founda- 
tion for its tomorrows. Its yesterdays extend back over 
its present earthly life away back into its past exist- 
ences. And its tomorrows reach far ahead of the re- 
maining days of its present earthly life into its future 



214 ADVANCED COURSE. 

embodiments or incarnations. Life is not a mere mat- 
ter of a few years in the flesh — the soul has countless 
yesterdays of existence, and has the whole of eternity 
before it, in a constantly progressing scale, plane after 
plane of existence being before it, in an ever ascending 
spiral. We do not purpose dwelling upon this fact, 
but mention it that you may be reminded that the em- 
bodied souls we see around us in the shape of men and 
women represent different scales of ascent, develop- 
ment, and unfoldment, and that of necessity there must 
be widely differing needs and requirements of the soul. 
The advancing ideals of morals, conduct and ethics are 
seen by the Yogis as indications that the idea and de- 
lusion of separateness is falling away from the race, 
and that the consciousness of Oneness is dawning in the 
minds of men. This dawning consciousness is causing 
the race to see "wrong" in many things that were for- 
merly considered "right" — it is causing men to feel the 
pains and sorrows of others, and to enjoy the happiness 
and pleasure of those around them — it is making us 
kinder and more considerate of others, because it makes 
us more and more conscious of our relationship with 
each other. This is the cause of the increasing feeling,* 
of brotherhood that is possessing the race, although 
those who feel it may not realize the real cause. 

The evolution and unfoldment of the soul results in 
higher ideals of thought and conduct for the race, and 
accounts for the changing conceptions of morality 
which is apparent to anyone who studies history, and 
who notices the signs of the times. An understanding 
of this theory of Dharma, enables us to understand 



DHARMA. 215 

comparative morality, and prevents us from condemn- 
ing our less developed brethren who have cruder ideals 
of conduct than ourselves. The higher the degree of 
unfoldment, the higher the ideal of conduct and moral- 
ity, although the unfoldment causes the soul to cast off 
many old forms and ideals which seemed the best for it 
in the past. Bearing these facts in mind, let us con- 
sider the three sources of authority. 

The Yogi Philosophy recognizes the theory of Reve- 
lation as one of the pillars supporting the edifice of 
Dharma. It holds that at different times in the his- 
tory of the race the Absolute has inspired certain ad- 
vanced souls to give forth the teachings needed by the 
race at that particular time in its history. These in- 
spired men were souls that had voluntarily returned 
from higher stages of development in order to render 
service to their less developed brethren. They lived the 
life of the people around them, and took the part of 
prophets, priests, seers, etc. Accounts of these people 
come down to us from the ages, distorted, magnified 
and elaborated by legends, superstition, and myths of 
the people among whom they lived. They seldom 
wrote, but their teachings often written down by others, 
(often after long years had past), and, although colored 
by the views of the compilers, these writings still give a 
fair idea of the teachings of the particular prophet or 
teacher. These prophets were of varying degrees of 
advancement, some coming from great heights of at- 
tainment, and others from comparatively lower planes, 
but each carried a message to his people, suited to their 
needs at that particular time. These messages were 



216 ADVANCED COURSE. 

accepted, more or less, by the people, and the teachings 
worked a change in them, and helped to lay a founda- 
tion for future generations to build upon. It is no dis- 
credit to these prophets, or to the source from which 
they received their information, to say that we have 
advanced far beyond many of their teachings, and to- 
day are enabled to discard nearly all of their precepts, 
with the exception of a few fundamental ones which 
were intended to last. The religious sects are apt to 
insist upon the infallibility of these teachings, and to 
hold that they were intended as rules of conduct and 
standards of morality for all people, at all times. A 
moment's thought will show the folly of this idea. Take 
Moses for example, and see how the details of his 
teachings were intended for the people of his time, and 
how well they fitted into their requirements, and yet you 
how well they fitted into their requirements, and yet 
how absurd many of them would be if applied to our 
life today. Of course, the fundamental principles laid 
down by Moses still obtain in full force, but the minor 
rules of conduct laid down for the Jewish people have 
been outgrown and no one pretends to observe them. 
Many critics of the theory of revelation find fault with 
many of the rules laid down by Moses, and point to 
their savage and barbarous nature, many of which are 
revolting to the ideals of today. And yet, these teach- 
ings each had a definite purpose, and were intended for 
the aid of the slowly evolving souls in the flesh at that 
time. The object of all of these teachings was to help 
man along in his evolution — to give him something just 
a little higher than his then mode of living to serve as 



DHARMA. 217 

an ideal of conduct. Some of these teachings which 
seem so barbarous to us today, if examined closely in 
the light of the condition of the race at that time, will 
be seen to be just a few steps in advance of the customs 
of the race at the time the teachings were given. To us 
on the higher rounds of the ladder, these teachings are 
seen to be on a lower plane than ourselves, but if we 
were to stand on the round occupied by the race at that 
time, we would see that the teachings were a round or 
two higher still. It is unreasonable to insist that the 
highest conceivable ideals should have been given the 
race in its infancy — just imagine the highest ideals of 
Christ submitted to the semi-barbarous tribes of Israel. 
But here let us call your attention to a remarkable fact, 
namely, that in the majority of these crude ancient 
teachings may be found an esoteric or secret teachings 
intended for the few advanced souls of that generation, 
and those to follow — just enough to show that the 
teachers understood the higher teachings. These eso- 
teric teaching are found embedded in the exoteric 
teachings intended for the multitude. It has ever been 
so. The teachings of Christ are not understood by 
the masses of today, not to speak of yesterday. Look 
at the history of Christianity and see how the so-called 
followers of the Christ misunderstood his teachings — 
see how barbarous and savage have been their concep- 
tions, and are even to this day. And yet, the advanced 
soul in every generation for the last nineteen hundred 
years has been able to read the esoteric teachings be- 
tween the lines of the imperfectly reported, and often 
distorted accounts of the sayings of Jesus. And yet, 



218 ADVANCED COURSE. 

Christ's teachings have done wonderful work, in spite of 
the lack of understanding. The ethics of the Sermon 
on the Mount are not in force today — the race has not 
grown up to them — 'but future generations will live by 
their light and guidance. 

At this point, let us call your attention to a fact. The 
teachings of all the prophets were intended to help man 
in casting off the old sheaths of the lower planes of the 
mind, and to help him to work his way to a higher stage 
of growth. The evolution of the soul was the end 
aimed at, and all observances were intended for that 
purpose. One step at a time was, and is, the rule. The 
word spoken was not the final word, but was intended 
to fit in a certain place. This is the key to much that 
has perplexed you in the past. Another important point 
to remember, is that all the teachings were intended 
to raise man up and all were for his own benefit. They 
were not intended to make man perform certain duties 
toward God, as we have been taught to believe. God 
was not worrying about man's lack of consideration to- 
ward him. He was not vain-glorious, and demanding 
worship and burnt-offerings to tickle his nostrils. Such 
ideas belong to the infancy of the race. God gets along 
very well without man's worship and praise. Man alone 
is the gainer by the love of God — the Absolute is not 
injured or benefited by man's actions. If the teachers 
and the prophets commanded that man worship God, it 
was solely for the purpose of bringing man's attention 
to the fact that there was a Power above, the fact of the 
attention being so directed causing man to obtain the 
advantage of the upward attraction of the Absolute in 



DHARMA. 219 

his unfoldment. Get out of your mind the idea that 
God needs your praise and worship in order to satisfy 
His love of approval and your statements of His ex- 
alted position. All the benefit of prayer, worship and 
love of God is on the side of Man—it is all one- 
sided. 

To understand the teachings of the prophets of all 
religions, we must put ourselves in the place of the 
prophet and see the kind of people he had to deal with. 
Then will we understand that the crude commands were 
calculated to bring them up just one step in the scale — 
and they did. But because the teachings were so in- 
tended, and accomplished their purpose, we must not 
allow ourselves to be bound by the letter of them at this 
time. If we grow to an understanding of the matter, 
along the lines pointed out, we will be able to discard 
the chaff of the teachings (which was the wheat in the 
past) and to seize upon the scattered grains of wheat 
still to be found in the measure. Let us make use of all 
the good in the old teachings for there is still much 
good to be found in them — they have not as yet out- 
lived their usefulness. But let us not bind ourselves 
with the worn-out teachings of the past — let us not for- 
get the spirit of all teachings and tie ourselves to the 
dead letter of the old law. Let us not commit the folly 
of claiming that because a teaching was inspired, that it 
is an infallible rule of conduct for all time, and all peo- 
ple — let us remember the other two pillars of Dharma, 
intuition and reason. But, at the same time, let us not 
sneer at the old teachings, and deny their inspiration, 
simply because they belong to a long past age and time. 



220 ADVANCED COURSE. 

Let us recognize the thing for what it is, and govern 
ourselves accordingly. And let us not suppose that the 
day of revelation and inspiration has passed. There is 
as much inspiration in Emerson as there was in the He- 
brew prophets — each was ahead of the times, and the 
message of each is but imperfectly understood by the 
multitude — each struck a higher note in the scale. We 
select Emerson merely as an instance — there are many 
others in our own times. But there is this difference 
between the prophet of old and the modern seer and 
teacher. The ancient prophet had a following that 
were compelled to accept the teaching in blind faith, 
illuminated with but a faint degree of spiritual insight, 
while the people of today are able to measure the 
value of the teachings by the light of their souls, and 
the aid of the reason — that is, some of the modern peo- 
ple may do this, the others must be content with the old 
teachings, for they belong to a past age of development, 
and not having kept pace with their brothers must re- 
main content with the tales of the spiritual childhood. 
And even this is good. 

The Yogi Philosophy recognizes the Theory of In- 
tuition or Conscience as the second pillar supporting 
the edifice of Dharma. As we have already said in the 
consideration of this particular theory, many persons 
who have devoted thought to the question of ethics are 
repelled by the difficulties surrounding the theory or 
Revelation (considered by itself) and not being willing 
to accept as authoritative, infallible, and final, the so- 
called revelations given to primitive peoples in the past 
ages, they deny the inspiration of these revelations and 



DHARMA. 221 

look around them for some other theory and rule of 
conduct. Many of such people accept the Utilitarian 
Theory, as appealing to their reason, although it does 
not seem to fill the needs of their souls so fully as. 
might be desired. Others being repelled by the cold- 
ness and selfishness of the last mentioned theory, and 
yet not being willing to go back to the old Theory of 
Revelation, adopt the Theory of Intuition or Con- 
science, and accept the idea that "conscience" or "intui- 
tion" is the direct and sole arbiter of morality and con- 
duct, and believe that the human laws are really based 
upon the same. Some take the radical position that the 
voice of "conscience" or "intuition" is really the voice 
of God speaking to Man, and should be obeyed implic- 
itly — that God makes his revelations to each man. As 
we have stated before, this position has been severely 
attacked upon the ground that the conscience of no two 
people agree, and that it is dependent upon environ- 
ment, age, race, public opinion, education, etc., and that 
therefore it cannot be an infallible guide nor one safe to 
follow, as every man would have his own laws which no 
other man would be bound to take into consideration, 
etc., etc. Dharma reconciles these two apparently con- 
flicting opinions. Let us see what it has to say about 
Intuition or Conscience. 

We had hoped to take up the question of the Theory 
of Conscience or Intuition, and also the Theory of 
Utility, in this lesson, reserving the next lesson for an 
elaboration of Dharma, but we find that we have ex- 
ceeded our space. Therefore, we will be compelled to 
postpone the consideration of Conscience and Utility 



222 ADVANCED COURSE. 

until our next lesson, in which these features will be 
combined with the remarks upon the practical phases of 
Dharma. We trust that our students will not pass over 
these two lessons as too "dry" for careful study. They 
are most important, and are needed by every student 
who is endeavoring to "get his bearings" — who wishes 
to lead the life that brings happiness — who desires to 
proceed along the Path of Attainment. The subject of 
Conscience or Intuition is particularly interesting, and 
we expect to bring out some important points on this 
subject in our next lesson. 

We beg that you give us attention and patience — you 
will be rewarded for so doing, Peace be with you. 



J 



LESSON IX. 



MORE ABOUT DHARMA. 



Our last lesson closed just as we were about to 
consider and examine into the Theory of Intuition 
or Conscience — the second pillar supporting the 
edifice of Dharma. We will now take up the sub- 
ject at that point. 

Every man is more or less conscious of an inner 
voice — a '"knowing" apparently independent of his 
Intellect. This voice speaks to him either in an 
authoritative or a coaxing tone — either commands 
him to do so and so, or to refrain from doing some- 
thing. Sometimes it impels him to higher action, 
and sometimes it seems to tempt him to perform an 
unworthy act. In its higher phases, we call this 
voice "conscience." In its lower phases, we are 
apt to regard it as "temptation." The old tales 
held that each man had a good angel on one side of 
him, and a bad one on the other, one whispering 
into his ear telling him to do the "right" thing, and 
the other urging him to do the "wrong" one. The 
old tales symbolize the truth, as we shall see as 
we proceed with our consideration of the matter. 

In addition to the "voice of conscience," or the 
"urging of the tempter," we find that there is a 
"leading" in matters of ordinary action and con- 
duct in which the question of "good" and "bad" 
does not arise — the decision upon some of the af- 

223 



224 ADVANCED COURSE. 

fairs of ordinary life, work, business, etc. This 
third manifestation we are apt to call ''intuition." 
Many people use the three terms and have a clear 
understanding of the difference between each form 
of manifestation, but are unable to explain just 
what these promptings are, or from whence they 
come. The Yogi Philosophy offers an explanation, 
and Dharma depends to some extent upon that ex- 
planation, as it rests partially upon the pillar of 
Conscience or Intuition — the second pillar — the 
first pillar being Revelation ; the third being Utility. 
These three pillars represent, respectively, the voice 
of The Lord; the voice of man's intuitive faculties; 
and the voice of man's reason. Let us now see 
what the Yogi Philosophy has to say regarding this 
question of Intuition, and the nature of the message 
coming from that part of the soul. 

In order to understand the nature of Conscience, 
Intuition, Temptation and other feelings coming in- 
to the field of consciousness from the sub-conscious 
regions of the mind, we must turn back a few pages 
in our lessons. In the first series of The Yogi 
Lessons (generally known as "The Fourteen Les- 
sons"), in The Second and Third Lessons, we told 
you something about the different "minds" in man 
— the different planes along which the mind of man 
functions. You will remember what we said about 
the Instinctive Mind, the Intellect, and the Spiritual 
Mlind. We have spoken of them repeatedly in the 
several lessons comprising the first course, and the 



MORE ABOUT DHARMA. 225 

present course, of lessons, and we trust that you 
have a fair understanding of the nature of each. 

"Temptations," or the impulse to do "evil" or 
"wrong" things, come from the lower regions of 
the mind — that part of the Instinctive Mind that 
has to do with the animal passions, tendencies, emo- 
tions, etc. These passions, emotions, tendencies, 
etc., are our inheritance from the past. They are 
not "bad" in themselves, except that they belong 
to a part of our soul history which we have left be- 
hind us, or out of which we are now emerging. 
These things may have been the highest "good" 
possible to our mental conception at some time in 
the history of our evolution — may have been neces- 
sary for our well-being at that time — may have been 
much better than other states of feeling and acting 
which we passed, and accordingly may have seemed 
to our minds at that time as the voice of the higher 
self beating down upon the lower consciousness. 
These things are comparative, you must remember. 
But, now that we have passed beyond the stage in 
which these things were the highest good, and have 
unfolded sufficiently to take advantage of higher 
conceptions of truth, these old things seem quite 
"bad" and "wrong" to us, and when they come into 
the field of consciousness from these lower regions 
of the mind, we shudder at the thought that we 
have so much of the brute still in us. Bwt there is 
no need to feel that we are "wicked" because these 
thoughts and impulses arise within us, They are 



226 ADVANCED COURSE. 

our inheritance from the past, and are reminiscences 
of the "brute" stage of our unfoldment. They are 
voices from the past. If you feel the struggles of 
the brute within you to be unleashed, do not be dis- 
turbed. The fact that you can see him now as 
something different from your normal self, is en- 
couraging. Formerly you were the brute — now 
you see him as only a part of you — a little later on, 
you will cast him off altogether. Read what we 
have said on the subject on page 26 ( Lesson I) 
of the present series of lessons. In other pages of 
the present lesson we will take up the subject of 
the comparative nature of ''right" and "wrong," so 
that you may see how it is that a thing that was 
once "right" may now be "wrong" — how what 
seems to be very "good" and "right" just now will 
appear "bad" and "wrong" later on in our unfold- 
ment (that is speaking relatively, for when we un- 
fold we begin to see that that "right" and "wrong" 
and "good" and "bad" are relative terms, and that 
there is no such thing as "bad" viewed from the 
Absolute. And yet, as we progress, the things we 
outgrow are "bad," and those into which we are 
growing seem "good" until they too are discarded). 
All that we wish to do now is to point out to you 
that "temptation" is merely the urge of some past 
experience for repetition, because the tendency is 
not entirely dead. It raises its head because of the 
flickering of expiring life, or because the dying thing 
has been aroused by some outside suggestion or cir- 



MORE ABOUT DHARMA. 227 

cumstance. Let the beasts die, and do not become 
alarmed at their struggles. 

Intuition may come either from the impulses of 
Spiritual Mind projecting itself into the field of 
consciousness, or from the sub-conscious region of 
the Intellect. In the latter case, the Intellect has 
been working out some problems without bother- 
ing the consciousness, and having worked the mat- 
ter into shape, presents it to the consciousness at 
the needed time, carrying with it an air of author- 
ity that causes it to be accepted. But many intui- 
tions come to us from the Spiritual Mind, which 
does not "think" but "knows." The Spiritual Mind 
gives us, always, the best that we are able to accept 
from it, according to our stage of unfoldment. It 
is anxious for our real welfare, and is ready and 
willing to aid and guide us, if we will allow it. We 
cannot go into the subject now, and merely men- 
tion it to show the shades of difference between In- 
tuition and Conscience. Conscience deals with 
questions of "right" and "wrong" in our minds, but 
Intuition deals with questions of proper action in 
our lives, without regard to ethics or morals, al- 
though not contrary to the best we know of those 
things. Conscience informs us as to whether or 
not a thing conforms to the highest ethical stand- 
ards possible to us in our present unfoldment — In- 
tuition tells us whether a certain step or course is 
wise for our best good. Do you see the difference? 

Conscience is the light of the Spiritual Mind, 



228 ADVANCED COURSE. 

passing through the screen of the enfolding sheaths 
of our soul. This is a clumsy definition, which 
we must endeavor to make clearer. The light of 
the Spiritual Mind is constantly endeavoring to 
work its way to the lower mental planes, and some 
of its light reaches even the lowest regions, but 
the light is seen but dimly at such times, owing to 
the confining sheaths of the lower nature which 
prevent the light from working through. As sheath 
after sheath is cast off, the light is seen more ciearly, 
not that it moves toward the soul, but because the 
centre of consciousness is moving toward the Spirit. 
It is like a flower that is casting off its outer petals, 
and dropping them to the ground as they unfold. 
In the center of the flower let us suppose there is 
something possessing light, which light is endeavor- 
ing to force its way through to the extreme rim or 
row of petals, and beyond. As the successive 
layers, or petals, fall off, the light is enabled to 
reach the remaining ones — and at the end all is 
light. This is a forced figure of speech but we are 
compelled to use such. Let us take another, equally 
clumsy, but which may be plainer to you. Imagine 
a tiny, but strong, electric light bulb confined in 
many wrappings of cloth. The light is the Spirit — 
the glass bulb the Spiritual Mind, through which the 
Spirit shines with a minimum of resistance and ob- 
struction. The outer layers of cloth are very thick, 
but each layer is thinner than the one next further 
away from the light — the layers nearest the light 



MORE ABOUT DHARMA. 229 

are quite thin, until they grow almost transparent. 
Try to fix this figure in your mind. Now, very 
little light reaches the outside layer of cloth, but 
still that which does reach it is the best light it is 
capable of receiving or conceiving. We remove the 
first layer of cloth. The second layer is found to 
receive and show forth more light than the one just 
cast aside. We remove the second one, and we find 
the third one still brighter, and able to radiate con- 
siderably more light. And so on, and on, each layer 
when removed bringing to view more light and 
brighter light, until at last all the layers are removed 
and the light of the Spirit is seen shining brightly 
through the glass bulb of the Spiritual Mind. If 
the layers of cloth had been able to think, they 
would have thought of the whole bundle of cloth 
(with the lamp in the center) as "I." And each 
layer would have seen that "closer in" was some- 
thing a little lighter than is ordinary self, which 
light would stand for the highest conception of light 
possible to the outer cloth — its "conscience," in fact. 
Each layer of cloth would be conscious of the next 
inner layer being brighter than itself. The second 
layer would appear very "good" to the first one, but 
to the fourth or fifth the second would be darkness 
itself (by comparison), quite "bad" in fact. And 
yet each would have been "good" because it carried 
light to the layer still more in the dark. Conscience 
is the light of the Spirit, but we see it more or less 
dimly because of the layers surrounding it — we see 



2 3 o ADVANCED COURSE. 

only as much as filters through the cloth. And so 
we call the next inner layer "conscience" — and so it 
is, relatively. Do you understand the matter any 
clearer, now? Can you see why the "consciences" 
of different people differ? Does the fact that the 
different layers of cloth manifest varying degrees of 
light, make you doubt the brightness and reliability 
of the light itself? Think over this clumsy illustra- 
tion for a while, and see whether your mind does 
not open to a clearer idea of the value of Conscience. 
Do not despise Conscience or its voice, just be- 
cause you see that the Conscience of the lowly and 
undeveloped man allows him to do certain things 
that you consider "bad." That "bad" is "good" 
when compared to the next lowest stage of unfold- 
ment. And do not feel self-righteous because your 
Conscience holds you to a very high code of ethics 
— there are beings today, in the flesh, that view your 
code of ethics as you do those of the Bushman. 
You doubt this ! Let us give you an illustration. 
You call yourself "honest" and "truthful." Can 
you truthfully say that you have ever lived a month 
without telling an untruth ? Come now, honor 
bright — "white lies" and an evasion of "the whole 
truth" count as well as the big lies — have you ever 
been absolutely truthful and honest for a whole 
month? Trade lies — professional "necessities" — 
"business talk" — "politeness" — and all the rest 
count against you in this test. Oh, no, we do not 
condemn you — in fact, we cannot see how you could 



MORE ABOUT DHARMA. 23I 

be much better in the present stage of the unfold- 
ment of the race — you are doing the best you know 
how — to be able to see that you are not strictly hon- 
est and truthful is a mighty advance. And this test 
is only a trifling one — the race is committing much 
greater crimes, when viewed from a few steps up 
the mountain side. Are any people suffering from 
want in the world? Are any of your brothers not 
receiving their share of the benefits that have come 
to the race? Are things fully as "good" as they 
should be? Can you not suggest a single improve- 
ment in the state of affairs? Oh, yes, we know 
that you alone are not able to remedy things — but 
you are a part of the race and are enjoying the priv- 
ileges that come to the race — you are one of the 
crowd in the car that is rolling over the victims of 
the present state of affairs. But, as you say, you 
cannot help it — the race must grow into better things 
— must work itself out of the slough. And the 
pain of it all will cause it to work out — it is begin- 
ning to feel that pain now, and is getting very un- 
easy about it. All that you can do is to see the 
thing, and be willing for the change to come when it 
does. God has the loose end of the ball, and is un- 
winding and unwinding. You must have faith, and 
be willing for the unwinding, bring it to you what it 
will, for the seeing and the willingness will save you 
from much of the pain that must come to those who 
will not see and who are not willing — but even this 
pain will be good, for it is part of the unfoldment. 



232 ADVANCED COURSE. 

Well, to get back to our subject, do you feel so very 
superior and "good" now? Well, the lesson is: 
"Condemn not" — "Let him that is without sin cast 
the first stone." None of us is so very "good." 
And yet, all are on the upward path. 

Let us live friends, one day at a time ; doing the 
best we know how ; sowing a word here and a deed 
there ; let us not be self-righteous ; let us not con- 
demn ; let us do our best, but give to every other 
man the same privilege ; let us "mind our own busi- 
ness ;" let us cease to persecute ; let us be filled with 
love, tolerance and compassion ; let us see all as 
part of the All ; let us see that each is doing the best 
he knows how, considering the stage of his unfold- 
ment; let us see the Divine in the humblest, vilest, 
and most ignorant person — it is there, it is there, 
hidden but. pressing forward toward unfoldment ; 
and, finally, "let us be kind — let us be kind." 

This is the lesson of the electric light within the 
bulb, covered with layer after layer of the cloth. 
Take it with you — make it a part of yourself. And 
Peace will be yours ! 

A consideration of the above illustration will show 
you that Conscience is the voice of the Spirit as 
heard through the confining walls of the lower prin- 
ciples of Man's nature. Or, to state in another way: 
Conscience is the result of man's past experience, 
growth and unfoldment, plus such light of the Spirit 
as is possible for him to perceive. Man in his un- 
foldment has profited by past experiences — has 



MORE ABOUT DHARMA. 233 

formed new ideals — has recognized certain needs of 
the growing soul — has felt new impulses arising 
within him, leading him to higher things — has recog- 
nized his relationship with other men and to the 
Whole. These things have accompanied the 
growth of the soul. And each stage of the soul's 
growth has given Man a higher conception of what 
is "right" — has exacted a higher ideal on his part. 
And this highest ideal is what he feels to be "right," 
even though he does not always live up to it. The 
light of the Spirit illuminates this highest peak of 
ideality possible to him, and makes it stand out 
clearly to the soul as a point to be aimed at — to be 
climbed toward. This highest peak, thus illumined, 
is as a goal for him to march toward. It is the 
highest thing that he is able to perceive. It is true 
that as he advances, the light mounts higher and 
shows him still higher peaks, the existence of which 
has not been suspected by him. When he attains 
to what now seems to be the highest possible point, 
he will see that he has merely gained the top of a 
foot-hill, while far above him, towering higher and 
higher, rise the peaks of the real mountains, the top- 
most point being brightly illumined by the light of 
the sun of the Spirit. There are other intelligences 
whose task it is to surmount heights unseen by us — 
the goal of those far behind us (that is the highest 
peak seen by them) seems far beneath us, for we 
have left it behind long since. So we must understand 
these things — this state of affairs, if we would form 



234 ADVANCED COURSE. 

a clear idea of the acts, ideals, and "conscience" of 
others. We must cease to condemn — our duty to- 
ward others is not to blame them for not having 
reached the heights that we have attained, but to 
send them a cheering message of hope and joy, and 
to help to point out the way. That is what the 
Elder Brothers are doing for us — let us do the same 
for those behind us on The Path. 

In conclusion, we call your attention to the fact 
that Conscience is but one of the pillars supporting 
the edifice of Dharma. It is an important pillar, but 
not the only one. It is to be taken into most serious 
consideration, but it is not an infallible guide. It 
points out the highest we have grown to see, but 
the point seen by us is not necessarily the highest, 
nor must we rest content with what we see. That 
which is behind Conscience is Infallible and Abso- 
lute, but Conscience itself is Relative and Fallible, 
because of our lack of growth — because of the con- 
fining sheaths which prevent the light of the Spirit 
from shining upon our souls. But, nevertheless, let 
us look toward that light, and follow it. Let us 
say in the words of the old familiar hymn of our 
childhood : 

"Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom 
Lead thou me on. 

The night is dark, and I am far from home; 
Lead thou me on. 

Keep thou my feet ; I do not ask to see 

The distant scene; one step enough for me. 
Lead thou me on." 



MORE ABOUT DHARMA. 235 

The third pillar of Dharma is the theory of Utility, 
of which we have told you in our last lesson. Dhar- 
ma acknowledges the value of Utility as a pillar, 
while seeing its weakness as a sole support for 
ethics. Human law, as set forth in statutes, laws, 
etc., rests almost entirely upon the basis of Utility, 
although some of the writers try to make it appear 
that it rests upon Divine command. The law is the 
result of man's endeavors to frame a code of con- 
duct to fit the requirements of the race. Human 
law is a matter of evolution — it has grown, changed 
and unfolded from the beginning, and always will 
do so, for it is fallible and not absolute. Just as 
Conscience is always a little ahead of man's growth, 
so is human law always a little behind. Conscience 
points out a step higher, while laws are framed to 
fit some need that has arisen, and are never enacted 
until the need of them is clearly seen. And laws 
generally are allowed to remain in force for some 
time (often a long time) after their need has disap- 
peared. Human laws are the result of the average 
intelligence of a people, influenced by the average 
"conscience" of that people. The intelligence sees 
that certain wants have arisen and it attempts to 
frame laws to cure the ''wrong," or possible 
"wrong." The conscience of the race may cause it 
to see that certain laws that have been in force are 
unjust, unreasonable, and burdensome, and when 
this is clearly seen an attempt is made to have such 
laws repealed, altered, improved upon, or superseded 



236 ADVANCED COURSE. 

by others better adapted to the new wants of the 
race. Corrupt laws are sometimes introduced by 
designing and unscrupulous persons, aided by im- 
moral legislators — corrupt and ignorant judges often 
misinterpret the laws — mistakes are often made in 
making, interpreting and enforcing the laws. This 
because men and the human law is fallible, and not 
absolute. But take the general average, the laws 
of a people, both in their making, interpretation, 
and administration, represent the highest average of 
which that people is capable. When the people, 
or the average of them, outgrow a law, they do 
away with it — when the average of the race demand 
a new law, they get it, sooner or later. Reforms 
in law move slowly, but they come at last, and they 
are not so very much behind the average intelli- 
gences of the people. Of course, such part of the 
people as have risen above the average, see the 
human law as very faulty, ard often very unjust, 
from their point of view, just as do those below the 
average, from an entirely different reason — to the 
first the law at any stage of the race is imperfect 
because it is behind the requirements of justice and 
the needs of the race, while to the second class it is 
imperfect because it is in advance of their ethical 
conception. But, on the whole, the laws of a people 
fairly represent the needs, ideas, and intelligence of 
the average man composing that race. When that 
average man grows, the laws are changed to fit him 
— that is, he causes the laws to be changed, for he 



MORE ABOUT DHARMA. 237 

recognizes their imperfection. Some thinkers have 
thought that the ideal condition of affairs would be 
'"an absolute monarchy, with an angel upon the 
throne;" while another set of thinkers picture a 
community so highly advanced in intelligence and 
spirituality that human laws would be thrown aside 
as an impertinence, because such a people would 
need no laws, for every man would be a law unto 
himself, and being ideal individuals, ideal justice 
would reign. Both conditions above mentioned pre- 
suppose "perfection," either upon the part of the 
ruler or the people. The laws of a country are 
really desired or permitted by the average opinion of 
the people of that country — this is true of autocratic 
Russia as well as of so-called democratic countries, 
for the real will of the people makes itself heard, 
sooner or later. No people have a 3^oke imposed 
upon them, unless their necks are bent to receive the 
yoke — when they outgrow the yoke, it is thrown off. 
We are speaking of the average of the people, re- 
member, not of individuals. So you see, the laws of 
a country generally represent the needs of the aver- 
age citizen of that country, and are the best of which 
he is capable, and consequently, those which he needs 
at the present moment — tomorrow he may be 
worthy of and need better forms. The law is falli- 
ble and imperfect, but is necessary as a supporting 
pillar to the temple of ethics. It is the average con- 
ception of ethics, crystallized into a temporary 
shape, for the guidance of the people making the 



238 ADVANCED COURSE* 

shape. Every law is a compromise and bears more 
or less upon some one. The theory is "the greatest 
good to the greatest number. 1 " 

The advocates of the Utilitarian school of ethics 
point out that man calls a thing "wrong" because 
it gives him pain or discomfort to have that thing 
clone to him. For instance, a man doesn't like to be 
murdered or robbed, and consequently gains the idea 
that it is a crime for any one to kill or rob, and 
gradually enacts laws to prevent and punish the 
same, he agreeing to refrain from robbing and kill- 
ing in return for the immunity from such things 
granted him by the general acceptance of the con- 
ception of the thing as "wrong," and the enacting of 
laws prohibiting the same. In the same way he sees 
that the community is harmed by the neglect of a 
man to support his children, and so he grows to call 
that thing "Avrong," and moral sentiment causes 
laws to be passed to punish and prevent this offense. 
And so on — this is the reasoning of the Utilitarian, 
and his reasoning is all right so far as it goes, for 
indeed this is the history of laws and lawmaking, 
as well as one side of the growing conceptions of 
right and wrong. But there is something more to it 
than this selfish idea (which though selfish is right 
in its time and place, as, indeed all selfish things are 
or have been). The Utilitarian overlooks the fact 
that the unfoldment of the race soul causes it to 
feel the pain of others, more and more, and when 
that pain of others grows intolerable, then new ideas 



MORE ABOUT DHARMA. 239 

of right and wrong present themselves — new laws 
are passed to meet the conditions. As the soul un- 
folds it feels its nearness to other souls — it is grow- 
ing toward the conception of the Oneness of things 
— and while the feeling and action may be selfish, it 
is the act and feeling of an enlarged self. Man's 
sense of Justice grows not alone because his intelli- 
gence causes him to form a higher conception of ab- 
stract Justice, but also because his unfolding soul 
causes him to feel the relationship of others and to 
be made uncomfortable at their distress and wrongs. 
His conscience is enlarging, and his love and under- 
standing is spreading out. At first man cares only 
for himself, all others being "outsiders." Then he 
feels a certain "oneness" with his wife and children 
and parents. Then to his whole family connections. 
Then to his tribe. Then to the confederation of 
tribes. Then to his nation. Then to other nations 
speaking the same language, or having the same re- 
ligion. Then to all of his own color. Then to the 
whole human family. Then to all living things. 
Then to all things animate and inanimate. As 
man's sense of "oneness" enlarges and unfolds, he 
experiences growing conceptions of "justice" and 
right. It is not all a matter of the Intellect— the 
Spiritual Mind rays are becoming brighter and 
brighter, and the Intellect becomes more and more 
illumined. And as the illumination increases, man's 
sense of justice grows and broadens out, and new 
ideas of "right" and "wrong" present themselves. 



240 ADVANCED COURSE. 

So you see the Utilitarian idea is correct so far as 
it goes, but to understand it intelligently one must 
take into consideration the higher principles of the 
mind, as well as the Intellect. Man finds that it is 
not only "the happiness of the majority," but the 
happiness of all that is the ideal. He finds that 
until all are happy he cannot be perfectly happy. 
He realizes that until all get justice, none get it. 
And so he goes on, doing the best he can — blunder- 
ing, stumbling, committing follies, impelled always 
by that growing thing in his mind, that he under- 
stands not (until his eyes are opened) but which 
makes him mighty uncomfortable and restless — that 
makes him press forward in search of he knows not 
what. Now that you, friends, begin to see what is 
the matter, you will feel less of the pain — the under- 
standing is healing, and you will be able to stand a 
little aside and watch the trouble of the race in this 
matter of "right" and "wrong," and how they are 
suffering from the itch of ignorance. But, beware 
how you attempt to set them straight before 
they are ready for it — they will turn upon 
you and rend you, calling you "immoral," "athe- 
istic," "anarchistic," and what not. Let them 
alone with the "infallible" codes of laws, morals, 
and ethics (which are changing over night) — 
let them go on making and unmaking their laws, 
for that is a good thing for them, and they 
need to do it to bring them out of their trouble. Let 
them tie themselves up with red-tape and chains, if 
they like it, and let them condemn their brother be- 



MORE ABOUT DHARMA. 241 

cause he does not see things as they do — that is their 
nature and a part of their evolution. But do not let 
these things affect you — you know that all this con- 
stantly changing system of laws, ethics and morals 
is a part of the great plan of unfoldment, and that 
each is a step upward, and that no one step is ab- 
solute or infallible. You know that short of the full 
realization of the Fatherhood of God and the Broth- 
erhood of Man — the conception and realization of 
the Oneness of All — there can be no real peace or 
rest. Stand aside and let the children play. 

The evolving life of the soul — the unfoldment — 
gives you the key to all this system of change and 
unrest — this endeavor to square human needs with 
human laws — this endeavor to establish an absolute 
standard of right and wrong in the shape of human, 
relative, yard-stick and scales. The race is doing 
the best it can — each individual is doing the best he 
can — led ever upward by the light of the Spirit. 
Hold fast to the best you see, knowing that even 
that best is but a step toward the real best — and do 
not condemn him whose best is almost as your 
worst. Do not sneer at human law, even though 
you see its imperfection — it is a needed and impor- 
tant step in the evolution of the race. Finite, rel- 
ative and imperfect as it may be, it is the best of 
which the race (the average) is capable and deserv- 
ing of today. Remember, there is nothing Infinite, 
Absolute and Perfect, but the Whole — The One — 
The Absolute. Remember, also, that the race is 



242 ADVANCED COURSE. . 

slowly unfolding in an understanding of; a con- 
sciousness of; an identity with That One. And you, 
who are growing into that understanding, con- 
sciousness and perception — you who are beginning 
to feel the meaning of the I Am — be you as the rock 
against which dashes and beats the waves of the 
sea. Let the relative things dash themselves upon 
you, but be undisturbed, for they cannot harm you. 
They can but refresh and cleanse you, and as they 
roll back into the sea you will still stand there strong 
and undisturbed. Or, as one gazing from his win- 
dow upon the groups of little children playing, quar- 
reling, disputing, "making up," playing their games, 
making rules, imposing forfeits, awarding prizes — so 
view the world of men and women around you who 
are taking it all so much in earnest. And in both 
cases, send them forth your Love and Understand- 
ing, though they know not what you mean — though 
they cannot understand your view-point. 

We trust that we have made plain to you that the 
three generally recognized theories of ethics — reve- 
lation, conscience or intuition, and utility, are not an- 
tagonistic, but are complementary. Each presents 
its own phase of the truth — each teaches its own les- 
son. And the three pillars support Dharma. Let 
us now consider Dharma as a whole. 

As we stated in our last lesson, Dharma may be 
defined as "Right Action" or, to be more definite, 
we might say that "Dharma is the rule of action and 
Life best adapted to the requirements of the indi- 



MORE ABOUT DHARMA. 243 

vidual soul, and best calculated to aid that particular 
soul in its next highest step of development." And, 
as we said in the same lesson : "When we speak of a 
man's 'Dharma,' we mean the highest course of ac- 
tion for him, considering his development and the 
immediate needs of his soul." 

The student will have gathered, by this time, the 
idea that the philosophy of Dharma holds that 
"right" and "wrong" are relative terms, and that the 
only absolute "right" there is must rest in the Abso- 
lute itself. And that there is no such thing as abso- 
lute "wrong," the relative wrong that we see when 
we use the term, being merely an action resulting 
from either a low conception of "right," or else ab- 
action falling short of complying with the highest 
conception of "right" on the part of the actor. In 
short no action is absolutely "wrong" or "bad" in 
itself, and is only "wrong" or "bad" inasmuch as 
fails to come up to the highest conception of "right" 
on the part of the actor or observer. This may 
seem like dangerous doctrine, but let us consider It 
a moment. 

You will notice by studying history and the story 
of the evolution of Man, that man's highest ideals 
in his savage state were but little removed above 
those of the lower animals. It was not thought 
wrong to kill, steal, or lie; in fact, some races es- 
teemed a man if he did these things, providing he 
confined his operations to those outside of his im- 
mediate family or tribe, in fact the principal objec- 



244 ADVANCED COURSE. 

tion to his killing his fellow tribesman seems to have 
arisen from a recognition of the fact that this course 
weakened the fighting and resisting power of the 
tribe, and the idea gradually obtained force that 
killing was "wrong" if the murdered man was a 
member of the tribe, but right and even commend- 
able if he be of an outside tribe. (This seems very 
barbarous to us now, but the traces of it are seen 
even to this day when so-called "civilized people'' 
still consider it right to kill men of another nation or 
people, and to "capture" their goods, providing 
"war" has been declared. The savage carried the 
matter to its logical conclusion, and did not wait for 
a declaration of war, that is the principal difference.) 
We find primitive man committing all the things we 
now call crimes, without being blamed for them, and, 
providing the crime were committed upon a person 
sufficiently removed from the tribesman, according 
to the customs and ethics of the time, the greater 
the crime the greater the "good" or "right" was it 
considered. 

As the race evolved many of these "right" things 
began to be considered "wrong" and "bad," accord- 
ing to the "revelations" made by the priests and 
prophets ; according to the awakening "conscience" 
in the people arising from an unconsciousness recog- 
nition of their relationship to one another; and ac- 
cording to the working of the idea of "utility" and 
"public policy" in the developing intellect of the 
race. And as the race evolved and unfolded, the 



MORE ABOUT DHARMA. 245 

ideals enlarged and grew higher. Things that were 
considered perfectly "right" and justifiable a few 
hundred years ago, even to the "best people" of the 
times, are now regarded as very "wrong" and base. 
And many of the things that seem perfectly right to 
us today, will be regarded by our descendants as 
barbarous, "wrong" and almost incredible. Read a 
chapter of life in the Middle Ages, for instance, and 
see how ideals and ethics have changed. Then 
come near home, and see how differently slavery is 
regarded now than fifty years ago, not to speak of 
one hundred years. Then read Bellamy's "Looking 
Backward" for instance, and see how it may be pos- 
sible for public opinion to radically change. (We 
mention this book merely as an illustration — we do 
not claim that just those changes are to come to 
pass, although we know that changes just as marked 
and radical are before the race.) 

And even in our own time we can see that differ- 
ent ideals are held by men and women in different 
stages of unfoldment, and that there is no fixed and 
arbitrary standard of "right" and "wrong" accepted 
by all. We may agree on the main points of ethics, 
but we, as people, differ materially upon the minor 
points. The average intelligence and "conscience" 
of the people are represented by their laws and 
"public opinion," although, as we have said, the laws 
are just a little behind even the average ideal, just 
as the average "conscience" is just a little ahead of 
the average rule of conduct. The average man is 



246 ADVANCED COURSE. 

fairly well satisfied with the laws as they are at any 
particular time, although some of those upon whom 
the laws bear heavily consider them too strict and 
based upon a visionary idea of "good," while to men 
above the average the prevailing laws often seem 
based upon too low and undeveloped an ideal, and 
are often considered absurd, inadequate, more or 
less unjust, and not based upon an advanced ideal 
of ethics. 

Not only do "good" things grow "bad" as time 
rolls on, but many "bad" things gradually lose their 
"badness" and are seen as perfectly good and proper 
when viewed from the point of advanced knowledge. 
Many things have been pronounced "taboo" or 
"'bad" because they did not fit in with the fashion- 
able religion, or social views of the times, and when 
custom changes, and religious ideas grow, the 
"taboo" is lifted. Many of these "tabooed" things 
were made "bad" by the priests of different times, 
for reasons satisfactory to themselves, their power 
often being increased in this way. 

You will notice that as time passes, the average 
intelligence, and the average conscience, taking 
form in "public opinion" and law, demands of man 
a greater consideration for his fellows- — insists that 
he "be kind" to a greater degree. This because of 
the dawning consciousness of the relationship of 
one man to another — the growing knowledge of the 
Oneness of All (often unconscious knowledge). 
And vou also will notice this fact, that while a 



MORE ABOUT DHARMJA. 247 

higher standard of "right" and "good" is required in 
the above stated matter, the "taboo" is graduallv 
being lifted from man's action as regards his 
thoughts, life and actions affecting only himself. 
While man is expected to "be kind" to a greater de- 
gree each year, he is being accorded more freedom, 
and is being given a better opportunity to "obtain a 
place, a free field, a harmonious expansion for his 
activities, his tastes, his feelings, his personality, his 
self," as Edward Carpenter has expressed it. The 
blockade is being raised — the "taboo" is being taken 
off and man is to be given an opportunity to "fear- 
lessly and gladly live his own life," provided only 
that he observe the highest degree of "being kind" 
to his brothers and sisters. 

Now this idea of Dharma — this knowledge that 
"right" and "wrong" are relative and changeable, in- 
stead of absolute and fixed, does not give anyone an 
excuse for doing anything "bad" or "wrong" that he 
would not have done under the old idea. On the 
contrary, Dharma holds one up to his highest concep- 
tion of "right," and expects him to do what seems 
"right" for right's sake, and not because the law 
compels him to do so — it expects right-action from 
him, even though the law has not as yet reached so 
high a stage. It teaches him that, if he sees a thing 
to be "wrong," it is wrong for him even though the 
law and public opinion have not yet reached so high 
a standard of ethics. The advanced man will al- 
ways be a little ahead of the average conception — 
never behind it. 



248 ADVANCED COURSE. 

And D'harma does not teach that because an un- 
developed and ignorant man may think it "right" to 
commit crimes against his neighbors, that he should be 
allowed to do so without hindrance or restraint. 
While no one would call a cat "bad" who would 
steal, or a fox "bad" who would kill chickens, still 
one is perfectly justified in restraining these animals 
from pursuing their natural instincts to the injury 
of man. And likewise with the "criminals" of so- 
ciety, while recognizing that their actions are the 
result of undeveloped minds and souls ; ignorance, 
failure to live up to even the elementary ideals of 
ethics possible to them; we are justified in restrain- 
ing them from preying upon us. But the idea 
should not be "punishment," but restraint and re- 
form. Criminals are practically savages and bar- 
barians, and their acts while entirely "wrong" when 
seen from our present viewpoint, were seen as 
"right" from the viewpoint of the savage. And 
these criminals should be treated as younger breth- 
ren of the race — undeveloped — ignorant — but still 
brothers. 

The rule of Dharma is for each man to live up to 
the best in him— no matter whether that "best" has 
been impressed upon his soul by revelation, intuition 
or conscience, or by his intelligence in accordance 
with "utility." In fact all three of these influences 
have impressed him somewhat, and his "best" is a 
composite of the three influences. When in doubt, 
open yourself to the light of the Spirit, and your 



MORE ABOUT DHARMA. 249 

"best" will stand out clearly under the illuminating 
influence. That best will be your Dharma. 

And another rule of Dharma is to refrain from 
criticising or condemning the Dharma of another 
man less developed than yourself. He is not look- 
ing through your eyes — he is not standing in your 
shoes. He may be living nearer to his highest ideal 
than you are to yours — how dare you judge him? 
Are you so near perfect that you set your standard 
up as the absolute? Will your highest ideal — and. 
your best action — measure up creditably when laid 
next to the yard stick of the Absolute? Did you 
ever stop to consider that if you were in exactly the 
condition of that lowly brother or sister you would 
do exactly as does he or she. You cannot imagine 
yourself in exactly their condition, for you can think 
only of yourself as you are, and when you try to put 
yourself in their place you are able only to think of 
yourself (with all your past experiences and present 
attainments) clothed in the flesh and garments of 
the other. It is not the same at all — to be exactly 
like them you would have to cast aside all your past 
experiences and present attainments, and take the 
experience and attainment of the other instead. 
And, in that case, would you not be the other instead 
of yourself, and could you then (being that other) 
act differently from him? 

The student who has followed us in our considera- 
tion of the schools of ethics — the three pillars of 
Dharma — very naturally asks us what crowns the 



250 ADVANCED COURSE. 

structure — what ideal of conduct Dharma holds out 
to those who are ready to perceive it. When one 
has mounted into the temple supported by the three 
pillars, what does he find there? Let us see whac 
answer Dharma gives to these questions. 

The main point to remember in the consideration 
of "Right Action" as seen from the point of view of 
Dharma, is that the soul of Man is in a state of 
evolution or unfoldment. It is moving, stage by 
stage, from the lowest to the highest — from the idea 
of separation to the knowledge of Oneness. This 
unfoldment is the aim of life — the Divine plan. 
This being the case, can you not see that anything 
in the line of that unfoldment that aids it and tends 
to forward the work is "Good" or "Right?" And 
then, equally true must be the statement that any- 
thing that retards that unfoldment or tends to delay 
or frustrate it must be "Bad" or "Wrong," when 
measured by the same standard. It is true that you 
may say "Not-Good," or "Not-Right," instead of 
"Bad" and "Wrong," or you may say "Less-Good," 
or "Less-Right," if you prefer the terms — but the 
meaning is the same, no matter what words are used. 
The "Right" or "Good" falls in with the plan of un- 
foldment, while the "Wrong" or "Bad" tends to re- 
tard it, or to frustrate its work. It is "right" for the 
tiger to be blood-thirsty and revengful, for that is 
not contrary to his stage of development, but for a 
developed man to revert to that stage, or stages cor- 
responding to it is "Wrong," because it is a going 



MORE ABOUT DHARMA. 251 

back, or retrogression. For an advanced soul to 
harbor feelings of hate, revenge, jealousy and the 
like, would be "wrong" for it would be a going back 
to stages long since past, and would be contrary to 
the knowledge and intuition of that man. In climb- 
ing the steps of the temple of Dharma one man may 
be on the third step, and a second man on the fifth. 
Now if the man on the fifth step descends to the 
fourth one it is a going back for him, which is 
"wrong;" while if the man on the third step ad- 
vances to the fourth one it is a going ahead for him, 
which, consequently is "right" and desirable for him, 
for he is advancing. The law of evolution and un- 
foldment leads upward. Whatever falls in with 
that law is desirable and right — whatever goes con- 
trary is undesirable and wrong. If a teacher has a 
dull or wilful scholar, and after working hard with 
him she finds that he is doing "just a little better," she 
praises him for the improvement and is greatly 
pleased. But that same teacher would be greatly 
distressed if one of her brightest and best behaved 
pupils would do just the same thing for which she 
had just praised the poor scholar! And yet both 
acts would be the same, when seen from one point of 
view, and yet how different from the broader out- 
look. Do you see what we mean? 

Go on, dear friends and scholars, living up to your 
best. Read what we have written in Lesson I., of 
this series (pages 23, 24, 25, 26) and learn to "seek 
in the heart the source of evil and expunge it." Be 



252 ADVANCED COURSE. 

a tamer of the wild beasts within you. Learn to 
cast out these relics of the past. Learn to keep in 
leash the lower animal parts of your nature — drive 
the beast to his corner of the cage, in spite of his 
teeth and claws. Learn to grow and develop and 
unfold until you are able to reach that step of the 
ladder of Attainment when you may look upon the 
past and realize that Dharma has become a part of 
the past with you, for then you will have entered 
into that consciousness of the Real Self, and will be 
able to see things as they are. Then will you re- 
ceive the light of the Spirit without the dimness 
caused by the sheaths. Remember the words of 
"Light on the Path." "Make the profound obeisance 
of the soul to the dim star that burns within — stead- 
ily as you watch and worship, its light will grow 
stronger. Then you may know that you have found 
the beginning of the way — and when you have found 
the end, its light will suddenly become the infinite 
light." 

Peace be to thee. 



LESSON X. 

The Riddle of the Universe. 

In Lesson VI, of the present series, entitled "Gnani 
Yoga" we reminded the student that we had touched 
merely upon one phase of that branch of the Yogi 
Philosophy, and that we would take up some of its 
other features in subsequent lessons. The subject of 
Gnani Yoga is so large that many volumes could be 
written upon it, in fact, very many have been written 
in past ages, and thousands of volumes have been 
inspired by its teachings. In this lesson we shall touch 
upon some of the more important phases, and endeavor 
to present them in a plain simple style that the under- 
lying principles may be grasped, at least partially, by 
many who have found other presentations of the sub- 
ject too abstruse and technical. As we stated in 
Lesson VI : 

All existence, conscious or unconscious, is an EMA- 
NATION of one Being. 

This underlying "Being" has been called by many 
names by philosophers, the terms best adapted to it 
being "Spirit" or "The Absolute." The word "Abso- 
lute" is used in the sense "Unconditioned; Free from 
limitation; Complete in itself; Depending upon noth^ 
ing else; Actual; Real." In other words, it is "The 
Real Thing." We wish you to understand how we use 



254 ADVANCED COURSE. 

the word, as much misunderstanding arises from a con- 
fusion of terms, and their meanings. 

In our consideration of the subject we shall use the 
word "Relative" quite frequently. This word is op- 
posed in meaning to "Absolute,'' to the extent that it 
implies that it arises from the Absolute — it is incom- 
plete ; conditioned : limited ; depending upon some- 
thing else; partial (not in the sense of a separate part, 
but in the sense of an incomplete view or conception.) 
In our consideration of "Things as They Are" we may 
cast aside one after another relative feature or quality 
— that which remains at the last, incapable of further 
analysis, exclusion, or division, is "the thing in itself;" 
the "absolute" thing. The Yogis often speak of the 
Absolute as "the Thing as it Is" — the Relative being 
"The Thing as it Seems." A simple plan of keeping 
the idea clearly before the mind, is to think of the Ab- 
solute as "The Whole Thing, as it is," and of the Rela- 
tive as "An incomplete and imperfect view of one 
phase, aspect or quality of the Whole Thing." It is 
quite difficult to give an intelligent idea of the exact 
meaning of the two terms, for the reason that if we 
could understand the exact meaning of the word "Ab- 
solute," we would understand the Absolute itself. The 
word is the feeble effort of man's mind to express an 
inexpressible idea. Man's mind, in its present state of 
unfoldment, is "relative," and therefore is unable to 
grasp within itself the full meaning of the term "Abso- 
lute." So all it can do is to form an idea of its own 
limitations and boundaries, and then, realizing the rela- 



RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 255 

tivenaes of its own conceptions, it calls that which is 
without the boundary "Absolute." Man's mind 
cannot grasp the full sense of Absolute Space 
(Infinity) ; Absolute Time (Eternity) ; Absolute 
Intelligence ; although it may be able to under- 
stand the general meanings of the terms by reason of 
its understanding of the relative phases of the things. 
For instance, man is able to draw a circle on a piece 
of paper, the circle enclosing a measure of Space — by 
thus expressing Relative Space he forms a conception 
of Absolute Space (Infinity), as "all the space lying 
outside of the circle, in all directions, to infinity." In 
the same way he knows Time — he measures off a sec- 
ond, a minute, an hour, or a year — all relative terms. 
Having done this, he is able to think and say that all 
that lies on either side of the measured time — back of 
it, or ahead of it — is Absolute Time, Infinite Time, or 
Eternity. In the above illustrations, the Absolute 
Time, and Absolute Space, of course include the rela- 
tive thing that man has measured off or set aside, the 
separation or setting aside existing wholly within the 
mental conception of the man, and having no actuality 
or reality in truth. One may form a mental concep- 
tion of a "part" of the Absolute, in the sense that his 
attention is limited to that particular presentation of the 
thing apparent to his immediate consciousness, just as 
one may see a ''part" of the ocean, by looking through 
a telescope pointed at it, but that "part" is not a part 
in the sense of a "separate" or "divided" thing — the 
"separateness" or "division*' being wholly a matter of 



256 ADVANCED COURSE. 

his consciousness, due to his inability to see the whole. 
Likewise, one cannot separate a portion of Space or 
Time from the whole — all that he can do is to form a 
relative conception of Time or Space and give it a 
name — he cannot detach either from the whole, in 
reality. In fact, both Time and Space are purely rela- 
tive terms, used by man to help him to form a finite 
idea of Eternity and Infinity. Both words presuppose, 
of necessity, a measuring, or setting apart, while In- 
finity and Eternity having no limits, cannot be meas- 
ured at either end, and are Absolute terms. 

This Being — Reality — Spirit — Absolute — the Thing 
that IS— The Real Thing— the Whole Thing— of 
course is inconceivable to the finite human intellect. 
Man's higher states of consciousness, as they unfold, 
help him to understand the matter more fully, but none 
may understand the Absolute fully, unless he be the 
Absolute himself. The Final Secret is insoluble to 
our ordinary consciousness, or any consciousness out- 
side of the Absolute Consciousness. But as our con- 
sciousness unfolds, we may obtain (and do obtain), 
further and fuller knowledge — as sheath after sheath 
is thrown off, and the rays of the Spiritual Mind beat 
upon our consciousness, we are able to know many 
things formerly thought to be unknowable. And, we 
may make good use of the intellect in this matter. We 
have been told, so often, that we must take certain 
things "on faith," and that it was "no use bothering our 
minds concerning them," but this is only a partial state- 
ment of truth, for the Intellect does give us a reliable 



RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 257 

report concerning the real nature of things, and which 
reports, although only partial and incomplete, are 
worthy of respect. This is particularly true when the 
Intellect has received the beneficent light from the Spir- 
itual Mind resulting from the recognition of the higher 
principle and the willingness to accept light from it. 
Although our first realization of God does come in the 
way of a blind faith, caused by a feeble ray of the 
Spirit breaking through even the dense material 
sheaths of the soul, and although much of the follow- 
ing "knowledge" of the Supreme Something that is 
back of and under it all is "intuitive" and "not from 
the Intellect," still the Intellect is able to give us valu- 
able information, and is a proper instrument for such 
inquiry into truth. The higher teaching — the Spirit- 
ual Knowing — is not contrary to Intellect, but simply 
goes further along the line — it does not contradict In- 
tellect, but simply transcends it. And Intellect will 
bear it out from its own store of knowledge, if pro- 
perly asked. The Intellect is not a mocker — a liar — 
although many metaphysicians would have us to so 
consider it. It gives us accurate reports of matters 
coming before it, although often our undeveloped 
powers of judgment and discrimination cause us to 
misinterpret its message. When the Intellect is held to 
a clear answer, it will show us that it is forced to ad- 
mit certain things from certain premises — that it is 
unable to conceive the opposite conclusion. Let us not 
fear the conclusions of the Intellect — let us not fear to 
apply its tests to our Faith, The Intellect has its limi- 



258 ADVANCED COURSE. 

tations, but it is true so far as it goes, although our im- 
perfect and mistaken judgment of its messages often 
leads us astray. In our search for knowledge we must 
call on all planes of the mind. Let us not, with many 
denominational teachers, consider the Intellect foreign 
and antagonistic to religious knowledge. Let us not, 
with many of the material teachers, consider Intellect 
everything and the higher states of consciousness mere 
illusions, and false witnesses. Each phase of the mind 
has its province — they are sisters — let them walk hand 
in hand, helping, explaining, agreeing — instead of de- 
claring themselves sworn enemies. Let us see what the 
relative Intellect can tell us regarding the Absolute — 
what the finite Intellect can inform us regarding the 
Infinite. It is true that we cannot see "the Thing in 
Itself" by the Intellect, but inasmuch as the Intellect is 
a partial manifestation of that "Thing," and, inasmuch 
as unless we use the Intellect, we, in our present state 
of unfoldment, cannot think of the "Thing" at all, we 
may feel fully justified in asking the Intellect the 
question: "What can you tell us concerning this 
thing?" And in the following pages we will endeavor 
to tell what is the answer of the Intellect. Later on, 
we will offer the evidence of the higher plane of the 
mind — the message of the Spiritual Mind, so far as it 
has been shown us. 

The mind of Man when it unfolds sufficiently to 
reason at all about the Universe — Life — -Existence; 
when it forms even the elementary idea of Cause and 
Effect— when it reaches the stage of consciousness 



RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 259 

known as Self-Consciousness, that is, the stage at 
which it forms an idea of the "I" and the "Not I" — in- 
variably conceives the idea of "something back of it 
all." The man's first ideas are crude, but he grows in 
understanding and constantly improves upon his idea 
of the underlying cause of Life and the Universe. In 
addition to his intellectual conception, he is impressed 
by a "feeling" of a Higher Power, which feeling he 
afterward called "faith," and the manifestation of it 
"religion." He evolves fanciful theories, according to 
the direction of his religious thought and teaching, and 
invents gods without number (not to speak of devils), 
to explain that which the mind and "feeling" insisted 
upon. 

After a bit the thought on the subject split into two 
forms — the thought of the priests, and the thought of 
the philosophers. The priests contented themselves with 
assertions that their particular god or gods "created" 
everything, and invented fanciful tales to illustrate the 
same, as time went along. The philosophers generally 
discarded the theory of the priests, and attempted to 
explain the thing by theories of their own, although as 
a matter of safety and prudence, they generally took 
care to fall in with the prevailing religious ideas, at 
least so far as words were concerned. After a time, 
the priests, inoculated with the reasoning of the phil- 
osophers, invented "Theology," a system of philosophy 
attempting to explain "why" and "how" a precon- 
ceived personal god did certain things, and what was 
the logical conclusion of certain theories starting from 



260 ADVANCED COURSE. 

a certain premise. Then metaphysics sprang into exist- 
ence in response to the needs of men's minds. Meta- 
physics is the name given to the science of the inquiiy 
into the "reality" of things — the reality as compared 
with the "seeming" — the seen, as compared with the 
unseen — the subjective as distinguished from the ob- 
jective — an inquiry into the Absolute, in fact. Meta- 
physics tried to find "the thing in itself," while Theol- 
ogy contented itself with assuming a Deity (usually a 
personal God), and attempting to reason out the at- 
tributes, nature, etc., of that Deity, and the relation of 
the Universe to that Deity, who was assumed to be its 
Creator. Later on, came the material or physical scien- 
tists, who attempted to explain the Riddle of the Uni- 
verse upon a purely physical or material basis. The 
theologians , metaphysicians, and physical scientists of 
the Western world have fought each other's theories 
vigorously, and for a time were very far from each 
other. The Oriental thinkers, however, saw in theol- 
ogy, metaphysics, and science only varying phases of 
the same subject, and so the friction was avoided. In 
passing, however, let us say that the advanced theolo- 
gians are fast coming to an understanding with the ad- 
vanced metaphysicians, and the advanced scientists are 
meeting the other two on many points. They eventu- 
ally will agree in the main, the principal points of 
difference now being mere words — they are searching 
after the same Thing, and must eventually meet. 

The theologian ; the metaphysician ; the philosopher ; 
the scientist ; each assumed the necessity of there being 



RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 261 

"something underneath" Life and the Universe. Their 
minds could not get away from that idea — they found 
it a logical necessity — something forced upon them by 
their Intellect. Some thought that this "something" 
was an extra-universal thing — a something outside of 
Life and the Universe, and which "created" it. Others 
thought that the "something" was the "Reality" of 
Life and the Universe, as distinguished from the ap- 
pearance or partial-reality, but which was not apart 
from the Universe, but the soul or moving spirit within 
and of it. The theologians called it God; the meta- 
physicians called it Mind, Reality, Actuality, Truth, 
and similar names; the scientists called it Matter, or 
Force, or even Force-Matter; the philosophers called 
it Substance, Life, etc. But by each name, these think- 
ers meant "The Thing in Itself"— the Thing after all 
its "appearances" had been drawn into it — The Ulti- 
mate — The Absolute. 

We do not think it necessary to devote more space 
to the statement that the human mind is compelled to 
think of an "underlying something" — the "Thing in It- 
self." All thinkers (no matter what their schools or 
theories) admit this conclusion, and every man will 
surely find this conclusion in his own mind, if he will 
search for it. Therefore we may assume as an axiom 
("a self-evident and necessary truth; a proposition 
which it is necessary to take for granted" — Webster), 
the following statement : 

First — The Absolute IS. 

We are then led to a consideration of what our Intel- 



362 ADVANCED COURSE. 

lect informs us regarding this thing that IS — we must 
see whether the mind contains any more "self-evident 
truths ;" "propositions necessary to take for granted ;" 
things which the mind cannot help believing. 

The conception of the fact that the Absolute "is," 
carries with it the corollary, or consequent conviction, 
that: 

Second — Whatever really "is" must be the Absolute. 

There cannot be two or more Absolute Beings or 
Final Things. There can be only One Absolute or 
Final Thing. All else that "appears" to be must be rel- 
ative — things relating to, or arising in connection with 
the Absolute — "of" it. The Absolute is what really 
IS; and everything that really IS must be the Abso- 
lute. The two statements of truth are necessary to 
each other, and cannot be divorced. When we say 
"IS" we of course mean really is, in its entirety and 
completeness — not that which is incomplete and unable 
to stand by itself — not "appearances" of reality. Or, 
perhaps this may appear plainer to you : There cannot 
be two Whole Things, or two Totalities, or two Alls. 
One Whole Thing ; Totality ; All ; is the necessity of 
the Intellect. These terms, of necessity, all are more 
or less imperfect, and fail to carry the full meaning. 
Some words will mean more to one student — others 
more to other students — therefore we have used sev- 
eral. The one term, in place of "The Absolute," that 
seems to be more readily grasped by beginners, is the 
one used in the first part of this lesson, i. e., "The 
Whole Thing, as it Is." This second statement leads 
us to a third, which is akin to it, namely : 



RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 263 

Third — The Absolute comprises ALL that there 
really is; all that ever really has been; all that really 
ever can be. 

The All must comprise ALL. And it must always 
have comprised All. And it must always comprise All. 
This from the very nature of things, as conceived by 
the Intellect. All must always be ALL. There can be 
nothing outside of the All. And whatever IS must be 
in the All. There is no outside of the All — nothing can 
exist outside of it. To say that a thing exists outside 
of the All, is to state an absurdity. The Absolute never 
had a beginning, therefore there could have been noth- 
ing before it. And there can be nothing come from 
anything but it. And as it has no ending there can be 
nothing to come after it. So it must comprise all there 
is, has been, or will be. With this idea in mind, let us 
consider the fourth statement : 

Fourth — The Absolute is Omnipresent — present 
everywhere at the same time. This statement is self- 
evident. There can be no place outside of the All. 
There can be no existence or presence except in the 
All. The All must be Everywhere. There cannot be 
a place with nothing in it. The Intellect is unable to 
grasp a conception of Nothing as an actuality ; a real- 
ity ; an absolute fact. An absolute Nothing is unthink- 
able, for an absolute thing is something, and "some- 
thing" is opposed to "nothing." "Nothing" is a nega- 
tive term, and is used to denote the absence, or appar- 
ent absence, or of some relative thing. The Absolute 
being All, it mjust include everything (see Statement 



264 ADVANCED COURSE. 

III). That which we call space ; time ; matter ; mind ; 
energy ; etc., are but relative manifestations of the Ab- 
solute. Therefore it must be present everywhere, at 
the same time. Any other idea is unthinkable. 

Fifth. The Absolute is Omnipotent — All-powerful 
— Possessing Unlimited Power — Possessing All the 
Power there is. This statement must be self-evident, 
if we admit the statements that the Absolute is All ; is 
everywhere ; is universal, and providing that we admit 
that there is such a thing as Power or Strength. Of 
course, it may be argued that Power and Strength are 
relative terms, being things relative to or incidental to 
the Absolute, rather than absolute things in them- 
selves. This reasoning is correct, at the last, but we 
are conscious of something that we call Power or 
Strength, which we are justified in considering a rela- 
tive manifestation of the Absolute. If there is Power 
(even relative) it must be "of" the Absolute. There 
can be no other Power. The Absolute must be given 
credit for All Power — not partial Power — not simply 
more Power than something else possesses — but ALL 
Power; All the Power there is — Unlimited Power — 
Power enough to accomplish anything. Later on, we 
shall speak of Power as an Appearance or Manifesta- 
tion of the Absolute, and as relative in that sense. This 
axiom conveys the self-evident truth that all of that 
which we call Power, is a manifestation of the Abso- 
lute, and that there is no Power possible from any 
other source, for there is no other source from which 
it can come. Some metaphysicians make the state- 



RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 265 

merit: "The Absolute is All-Power—God is Power/' 
but we regard Power as a relative manifestation of 
God or the Absolute, instead of a name for "the Thing 
in Itself." We regard Matter and Mind in the same 
way, as shall more fully and at large appear, in this 
and following lessons. 

Sixth. The Absolute is Omniscient — All-wise 

All-knowing— Possessing All Knowledge— Knowing 
Everything— Having Infinite Knowledge. This means 
that there is nothing not known by the Absolute; 
nothing not absolutely understood. If there is a single 
thing that is not fully known by, and understood by, 
the Absolute then the words "Absolute" and "Omnis- 
cient" are meaningless and absurd. This, of course, 
applies to all knowledge appertaining to and concern- 
ing the past ; present ; and future, if we may be per- 
mitted to use these relative terms. The Knowing must 
be complete to be Omniscience— complete down to the 
smallest detail— to the final point. The Being pos- 
sessing Omniscience cannot make mistakes ; change its 
mind by reason of improved knowledge ; cannot err in 
judgment, discrimination, or any process of what we 
call "mind." Such Knowledge and Wisdom must in- 
deed be absolute, to fit the term. When the Absolute 
knows everything, it simply knows itself, for it is ev- 
erything in everything. We must admit the existence 
of "Knowledge," for we know it, relatively, in an in- 
complete and unfolding degree in ourselves. We not 
only "know," but "know that we know." And ad- 
mitting the existence of "knowledge" or "intelli- 



266 ADVANCED COURSE. 

gence," we of necessity must admit that such "knowl- 
edge" or "intelligence" must pertain to the Absolute, 
and be possessed by it or within it, or at least be "of" 
it. Whatever Is must be of the Absolute. And the 
Absolute must possess ALL that there IS of anything, 
or everything. In our consideration of that manifes- 
tation of the Absolute which is called "Mind," we shall 
speak of the universality of intelligence. 

Seventh. The Absolute is Infinite. This statement 
is almost superfluous, as the term "Absolute" carries the 
term "Infinite" with it, and yet there is a shade of 
difference between the two, and so, "Infinity" may be 
spoken of as a quality of the Absolute. Infinity 
means : "Unlimited or boundless, in time or space ; 
without limit in power, capacity, intensity or excel- 
lence ; perfect ; boundless ; immeasurable ; illimitable ; 
interminable ; limitless ; unlimited ; unbounded." — 
Webster. "Without Limit" gives the idea. The Abso- 
lute is without limit or bounds, because it is every- 
where in space and time (if we must use the words) ; 
because there is nothing with which to limit or bound 
it, and a thing cannot limit or bound itself; because 
there is nothing outside of ; beyond ; or back of it ; be- 
cause there IS nothing else but itself. Infinity is an ab- 
solute term, and the mind cannot fully conceive it, al- 
though it intuitively perceives it. 

Eighth. The Absolute is Eternal. Webster defines 
the word "Eternal" as: "Without beginning or end 
of existence; always existing; underived and inde- 
structible ; everlasting ; endless ; infinite ; ceaseless ; per- 
petual; interminable." We cannot conceive of the 



RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 267 

Absolute as having had a beginning, neither can we 
conceive it as ever having an ending. If we try to 
think of it as having had a beginning, we must think 
of it as proceeding from something else, and in thus 
thinking we make the Absolute a relative, and set up 
a new Absolute a little farther back, and so on ad 
infinitum. The mind is unable to think of the Absolute 
as having a beginning, for a beginning presupposes a 
cause, and that cause another cause, and so on. The 
mind cannot admit such an idea, and so must be forced 
to admit that back of all the effects arising from causes 
there must BE a something without a cause — a some- 
thing that always existed — a "Causeless Cause" — The 
Absolute. It is true that in the world of relativity we 
have never seen a thing without a cause, because the 
law of cause and effect is in operation in that relative 
world, but all these so-called causes and effects are 
within and "of" the Absolute. There is no cause out- 
side of the Absolute to affect it — there is nothing out- 
side — there is no outside. This is hard for the un- 
trained mind to grasp, but every mind must be forced 
to this conclusion, for there is no escape for it — the 
mind cannot help itself, and must admit the truth, al- 
though not able to understand it. The Intellect likes 
to cling to the idea of Cause and Effect, and is loath to 
part with it, even in considering the Absolute. But 
abandon it it must, for it is compelled to admit an 
exception, and a single exception breaks the law, and 
shows its relativity. For instance, if one admits that 
there is a "First Cause," the chain of cause and effect 



-68 ADVANCED COURSE. 

is broken, for then the "First Cause'* is something 
without a cause, and therefore the law cannot be an 
absolute one — the exception breaks it. Or, on the 
other hand, if one claims that the law of cause and 
effect is infinite, the answer comes that an infinite 
thing can have no beginning; and a thing without a 
beginning — a beginningless thing — can have no cause. 
And so in this case, also, the chain is broken, and the 
mind must admit that there must be something with- 
out a cause. In the last case, the Intellect in using 
an absolute term, "Infinite," which it cannot under- 
stand, has knocked the bottom out of its own argu- 
ment, and is forced to assume that there is a "Causeless 
Cause," although it is unable to illustrate that thing 
by anything in its own experience. It does the best it 
can, and so, at least, is frank to admit the existence of 
something which it cannot understand — in fact, it is 
compelled to do so if it is honest with itself. Cause 
and effect are relative things, not a necessity to the 
Absolute. Eternity is an absolute term, and the In- 
tellect cannot fully conceive it, although the mind in- 
tuitively perceives it. "Time" is a relative term used 
by man because of his inability to grasp the absolute 
truth. Man is never able to grasp a moment of time, 
for before the mind can fasten upon it it has passed into 
the past. Time is relative and the greatest period of time 
that the human mind is capable of imagining or think- 
ing about, when compared to Eternity or Absolute 
Time, is but as a strand of spider-web when 
stretched before the lens of a telescope the field of 



RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 269 

which embraces Infinite Space — in fact the spider-web 
would have to be reduced an infinity of infinity of de- 
grees, before it would begin to answer for the purpose 
of comparison. An aeon of countless millions of 
years, when compared with Eternity, or Absolute 
Time, comes so near being absolutely ( ?) nothing, 
that only the Absolute Mind could distinguish it. 
Advanced minds in their teachings inform us that they 
often lose their sense of relative time entirely, in their 
consideration of Eternity or Absolute Time, and a 
million years seem as but a moment, in the thought. 
The same thing happens when the advanced mind ex- 
plores the mental regions pertaining to Space — the rel- 
ative is lost in the Absolute, and relative Space melts 
into Infinity. Time and Space are relative terms, be- 
longing to the finite mind of Man of today — when the 
Absolute thinks, it thinks in terms of Infinity and 
Eternity — its own terms. From the Absolute (even 
our puny intellect can grasp this) everywhere is Here 
— every time is Now. 

Ninth. The Absolute is indivisible. The Absolute 
is the All — the Whole Thing. It cannot be divided into 
parts, because there is nothing to divide it — nothing to 
divide it with — and nothing to "fill in the cracks." 
There can be no real partition, division, or separation 
of the Absolute. It always has been the Whole — 
always will be the Whole — is the Whole now. It is an 
Ultimate thing — not capable of being separated, di- 
vided, or parted. The mind is incapable of conceiv- 
ing of the Absolute as being broken into bits; sep- 



270 ADVANCED COURSE. 

arated ; divided, etc., for the reasons given above. The 
mind refuses to form the picture, and is forced to ac- 
knowledge the truth of the above statement. It is true 
that in our finite conception of things we may use the 
relative terms : "part of," or "portion of" the Whole 
Thing, or Absolute, meaning the particular presenta- 
tion of the Whole coming within the field of our con- 
sciousness. We are unable to see the thing in its en- 
tirety, and consequently speak of that which we see 
as "a part," or "a portion" of the Absolute or Whole. 
But the limitation is within ourselves, and our mind 
makes the relative distinction because its field is too 
limited to take in a view of the whole. The mind 
breaks up the Whole into these limited and partial 
views, and .calls each "a part," although in the abso- 
lute and true sense there is no partition, division or sep- 
aration of these so-called "parts," and, in reality and 
truth the Whole remains unchanged and unseparated, 
although the little finite, relative, field of consciousness 
breaks it into imaginary "parts" for its own conve- 
nience and accommodation. The matter may be illus- 
trated, crudely, by the following example. From the 
window by the side of which this lesson is written, 
there may be seen a great mountain range. As far as 
the eye reaches, it extends. Our eye takes it in as a 
whole, or rather recognizes it as a whole as it sweeps 
along its stretch, notwithstanding that at no time does 
the field of vision cover the whole range. Still the 
sense of continuity or wholeness is there, and if the 
eye were to be placed at a sufficient distance, it would 



RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 271 

take in the whole picture as one. But suppose that we 
wished to photograph this range, from this window. 
We would be compelled to first point the camera at one 
"part," and then after snapping it, point it at another 
"part," and so on until we had secured pictures of the 
whole. The several pictures would show no connec- 
tion with each other, and the whole range would ap- 
pear as if broken up or separated into "parts" or "por- 
tions," and yet in reality there has been no partition, 
separation or division in the mountain itself. The 
mountain itself remains unchanged — whole, and un- 
divided. Distribute the pictures, and each person look- 
ing at his particular one would see only a "part," each 
looking different, and having no connection with any 
other, unless the two be placed together. One wish- 
ing to get a correct view of the range, would have to 
piece together the "parts," before he could see a rep- 
resentation of the whole without division or separate- 
nesSo And yet, whether the pictures be viewed sep- 
arately or together, the mountain itself remains the 
same, undisturbed and unaffected by the "appearances" 
of the pictures. The illustration is quite crude and im- 
perfect, but may help to show you how, even on the 
physical plane, a partial view may give one the impres- 
sion of "parts" and "separateness," which impression 
has no basis in reality or truth. Every so-called "part" 
of the Absolute is in touch with every other "part" 
and the Whole — all is One, undivided, indivisible, in- 
capable of partition or separation. Remember this, 
students, you will need this truth to solve problems as 
we proceed. 



272 ADVANCED COURSE. 

Tenth. The Absolute is unchangeable, constant, and 
permanent. Intellect is compelled to admit this state- 
ment as self-evident. The Absolute cannot change, 
because there is nothing into which it can change with- 
out losing itself, and it is inconceivable that the Abso- 
lute could lose itself or its identity. All outside of the 
Absolute — the All — is "nothing," and something can- 
not be nothing, much less can the "Whole Thing" be- 
come "No-Thing." The Absolute, of necessity, must 
be the same thing always, yesterday, to-day, and to- 
morrow. It is perfect, therefore cannot be improved 
upon. It is all wise, therefore cannot commit the folly 
of making mistakes or of losing its Perfectness. It is 
all Powerful, therefore it cannot lose or suffer to be 
taken away from it anything that it has, even if there 
were anything outside of itself to take it away. There 
is nothing outside — there is no outside — there is noth- 
ing that can affect it in any way. Being Everything 
that really IS there cannot be anything into which it 
can change. There is an unvarying stability and con- 
stancy about the Absolute. There can be no evolu- 
tion, development, or growth on its part for it is al- 
ready Perfect, and there is no field for growth. These 
things being the case, we must realize that all that we 
call change ; growth ; improvement ; progression ; retro- 
gression ; life and death (as commonly understood) 
are relative terms, and are but incomplete appearances 
of the Absolute, and are not absolute facts. They 
are only "appearances" of Reality, the trouble being 
with our finite minds which see only a small and often 



RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 273 

distorted part of the Whole, and, not understanding, 
mistake that imperfect part for the Whole— mistake 
the appearance for the reality. We turn our telescope 
on the star, and when, shortly after, it passes out of 
the field of vision, we say : "it is gone," when, in real- 
ity, the star is still in its place, but we have moved and 
see it not. The shifting and changing that we think are 
real, are but the waves, foam and bubbles on the bosom 
of the ocean, mere surface appearances — the ocean is 
unchanged. The Absolute is outside of the law of 
cause and effect. Cause and effect cannot touch it, 
because they are but relative things, dealing with other 
relative things, and touching not the Reality or Abso- 
lute at all. The Absolute has no beginning, can have 
no ending ; has no cause, and is not the effect of any- 
thing. From the position of the Absolute, there is no 
such thing as the law of cause and effect, such law be- 
ing a relative thing having only the world of relativity 
for its field of operation. Cause and effect are relative 
appearances within the Absolute, and having no con- 
trol over it — they are creations, mere instruments or 
tools of the Absolute, serving some Divine purpose of 
the moment, but possessing no reality to the Absolute. 
The Absolute is Free. 

Eleventh. That which is not Absolute must be Rel- 
ative to the Absolute, or else Nothing at all. That 
which is not the Absolute Being ("the Thing in It- 
self") must be "of" it, or else must be nothing at all. 
This statement is a corollary of Statements I, II, and 
III. All reality— and all relativity— must be either 



274 ADVANCED COURSE. 

The Absolute itself, or else "of" the Absolute. In 
other words it must be either the Absolute (the 
Whole Thing as it Is), or else the Relative ("an im- 
perfect and incomplete view or aspect of the Whole 
Tiling"). If it is neither of these two things (which 
are really one thing, you must remember), then it is 
NOTHING — a Lie — an Illusion of an Illusion — a 
mistaken judgment of a Relative thing (or a series of 
such mistaken judgments), or a positive lie having no 
foundation either in the Absolute or the Relative. 

The Three Great Manifestations, or Relativi- 
ties. 

The ordinary Intellect is unable to see plainly, or 
comprehend fully, the Absolute in Itself. But the rela- 
tive aspects of the Absolute are apparent to the ordi- 
nary consciousness, and a glimpse of the "thing in it- 
self" (Spirit) may be had through the Spiritual Mind 
as the consciousness unfolds so as to admit its rays. 
Although a little ahead of that part of our subject, we 
think it better to make the following statement in 
order that the student's mind may rest for a moment in 
the asking of the question that must inevitably come 
after a consideration of the above eleven statements. 
The question we mean is this, coming from Man : "And 
where am I in this Absolute and Relative?" Or, as an 
American recently asked: "Where do / come in?" 
The question will be taken up in our final lesson, but 
we have this to say here: Man, as he seems to him- 
self to-day, has within him both the Absolute; the 



RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 275 

Relative. This is what we mean, he has within him, 
his Real Self, Spirit, which is Absolute. This Spirit is 
surrounded with a mass of the Relative, viz.: (1) 
Matter; (2) Energy or Force; (3) Mind. The San- 
scrit terms for the above are: At man, meaning Spirit, 
or the Eternal Self; Akasa, meaning Matter, or the 
all pervading material of the universe ; Prana, mean- 
ing Force, Energy, etc., and Chitta, meaning "Mind- 
substance." The Yogi Philosophy teaches that these 
four things are found in all things in the Universe of 
Universes. The Atman or Spirit being the Reality, is 
present everywhere, in everything. But not in the 
way of being shut off, or separate, or a piece allotted to 
every particular object. It may be described as "brood- 
ing" over the Universe and being in, under, around, and 
all about everything. We may speak (and we have in 
these lessons), as Man having within him (or else, as 
"being"), a "drop from the Ocean of Spirit; a Spark 
from the Divine Flame," "a Ray from the Sun of 
Spirit," etc., but these are mere figures of speech, for 
there is no separation of Spirit — there cannot be (see 
Statement VIII) . Instead of individual men being like 
pearls having a bit of gold in their center, they are like 
pearls strung upon a gold chain, the same chain being 
in and through each. This is a most clumsy illustra- 
tion, but may give a faint idea of the essential differ- 
ence between the two conceptions. 

Each relative entity, or center of consciousness, or 
atom, or thing (call it what you will), rests upon this 
golden chain of Spirit, is a point on that chain, in fact. 



276 ADVANCED COURSE. 

The pearls passing along the chain are composed of 
Matter (Akasa) ; possess Force or Energy (Prana) ; 
and Mind substance (Chitta), all of which three sub- 
stances, or things are relative manifestations of the 
Absolute, the Spirit being the only "thing in itself" 
apparent — the only "real thing" about man, for the 
other three are changeable, temporary, incomplete, etc., 
and lacking in the qualities that belong to the Absolute 
as we have mentioned them in the above statements. 
We shall take up this matter of the constitution of 
Man, in our next lesson, and merely mention the 
above in this place, as an aid to the student, and par- 
tially to answer the inevitable question that comes up 
at this part of the instruction. We must now go on to 
a consideration of the Three Great Manifestations or 
Relativities. We will then speak of The Spirit, At- 
man, or Absolute, and Man's Relation to God, which 
is the heart of "The Riddle of the Universe." The 
Spirit is the Unmanifest — Matter, Energy and Mind 
are Manifestations (relative, of course) of the Abso- 
lute. Remember this, always, in order to prevent con- 
fusion. 

The Three Great Manifestations of the Absolute, 
which may be sensed, studied, and comparatively well 
understood by the Intellect of even Man of to-day, are 
as follows : 

(i.) Matter, or Substance (Akasa). 

(2.) Energy, or Force (Prana). 

(3.) "Mind-Substance" (Chitta). 

These three divisions are recognized by the modern 



RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 277 

advanced Western physical scientists, although some 
of them try to "dodge"' the last mentioned form. In 
our consideration of the subject, we shall give you the 
views of the best Western thinkers, or rather the re- 
sult of their speculations and investigations, so that 
you may see how closely they are approaching the 
Yogi Philosophy, at least so far as the relative "world 
of form" is concerned. The Yogis know that the three 
above mentioned manifestations are really not three, 
but are three phases of one manifestation, their teach- 
ings being that Matter is a grosser form of Energy or 
Force, gradually shading and melting into the latter ; 
also that Force or Energy is a grosser form of "Mind 
Substance," gradually shading and melting into this 
last mentioned manifestation. And the Mind-substance 
in its highest phases and operations almost reaches the 
plane of Spirit, from which it has emerged, in fact, it 
becomes so fine at the point of its emergence, that the 
human mind (even the mind of the most advanced 
souls), cannot point to the exact line of difference. 
These things we shall consider later. Our first concern 
is a consideration of the Manifestation of Matter. 

(1) Matter. (Akasa) 

"Matter," is a word or term used by scientists to 
designate that substance of which the material and 
physical Universe is composed, which substance is 
claimed to have extension in space which it occupies, 
and to be perceptible to the senses — the "body" of 
things — the "substance" of things. It is usually di- 
vided into three classes, or phases, I e. } Solid, Liquid 



278 ADVANCED COURSE. 

and Aeriform. Solid Matter is matter whose parts 
firmly cohere and resist impression, such as stone, 
metal, wood, etc. Liquid Matter is matter having free 
motion among its parts and easily yielding to impres- 
sion, such as melted metals, tar, treacle, oil, water, etc., 
in short, matter that "flows." Aeriform Matter is 
matter that may be called "elastic fluids," such as 
vapor, gas, air, etc. Of course, these three forms of 
matter are really variations of one form, for all matter 
may be placed into either and all of the three classes 
by a change of temperature, for instance, Ice is a kind 
of matter in Solid form ; Water the same kind of mat- 
ter in Liquid form ; Steam the same kind of matter in 
Aeriform. The degrees of temperature, producing any 
of the three mentioned forms vary, but any and all 
forms of matter are capable of changing their form, 
as above, upon being subjected to the proper tempera- 
ture. For instance, Air, which is generally thought of 
as being Aeriform, has been liquidified and changed 
into Liquid Air by the application of a very low degree 
of temperature, and science knows that if a suffi- 
ciently low temperature be produced, the Liquid Air 
would "freeze" and become solid. Likewise, take 
Lead, which appears as a solid in our ordinary temper- 
ature, and subject it to sufficient heat, and it "melts" 
and becomes a liquid, and if a still higher temperature 
be applied it will pass off into a "gas" and become 
Aeriform. This is true of all the elements of Matter, 
the degree of heat regulating the form. Heat is known 
to science as a form of force, the degree depending on 



RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 279 

the rate of its vibrations, so that the change in the ap- 
parent form of matter is the result of the playing upon 
it of Energy or Force (the Second Manifestation). 
Certain gases combining in certain proportions pro- 
duce liquids, for instance, Water is composed of two 
parts of Hydrogen gas, combined with one part of 
Oxygen gas. And certain other Aeriform substances 
are composed of other "gases," for instance Air is 
composed of Oxygen and Nitrogen, combined in cer- 
tain proportions. Of course, both Water and Air may, 
and do, hold other substances in solution, but the ele- 
ments named are the only ones necessary, and the 
matter held in solution may be subtracted without im- 
pairing the virtue and nature of the solvent. The 
same form of matter may assume apparently different 
phases, for instance, the rocks composing the earth's 
surface crumble, disintegrate and are resolved into 
"earth," "dust," "dirt," etc. Then the plant-seed, 
sprouting and sending forth roots and shoots, draws 
upon this "dirt," taking from it certain elements 
needed for its welfare and life, transmuting these ele- 
ments into its own substance, cells, etc., and so thus 
that that was once a part of a rock, is now a part of a 
plant. Then comes along Man, who eats the plant, and 
its matter is transformed into bone, muscle, blood, and 
even brain of the man. If an ox eats the plant, and 
man eats the ox, the result is the same. The element 
in the rock is now the element in the man. And 
throughout all this change, although the form, shape/ 
and character of the matter has changed, not a single 



2 8o ADVANCED COURSE. 

atom of the original matter has been destroyed. Con- 
stant change and infinite combinations, but eternal ex- 
istence is what physical science claims for the atom of 
matter. That which was once an atom of the rock, and 
is now an atom of matter in your body, will, in time, 
be a part of the plant or animal life of some other form 
of creature, and will always be so, and has always been 
so, according to science. Science seeing this apparent 
eternity of Matter, naturally jumps to the conclusion 
that Matter is the Absolute thing, ignoring the fact 
that it is but the relative manifestation of something 
behind it — the Absolute Being. Physical Science has 
analyzed matter until it has been able to classify it into 
about seventy classes, called "elements," which it has 
assumed to be ultimate, that is, incapable of further 
analysis or division. The Yogi Philosophy teaches that 
all these so-called elements are but forms of one ele- 
ment — that there is but one form of matter, as may be 
found when chemistry reaches a higher stage of de- 
velopment. Modern science is reaching the same con- 
clusion, although it has not been able to positively 
demonstrate it by experiment. 

Then science has assumed that Matter is composed 
of minute atoms, not visible to the sight, and that the 
Ultimate Atom is incapable of further division, and is 
therefore the "real thing" in matter. Some have held 
that this Ultimate Atom is the Absolute, from which 
all the elements, and then all the forms of matter have 
sprung, and also all that we call Energy and Mind are 
incidents and qualities of this Atom. They would 



RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 281 

have made this Atom their God, but alas ! still more 
recent discoveries have shown them that their Ultimate 
Atom is not ultimate at all, and they are now hunting 
for another Ultimate Something in Matter. They will 
find, as did the Yogis thousands of years before, that 
when they reach their "Ultimate" in Matter it will dis- 
solve and melt into Force and Energy, and then they 
must hunt for their Ultimate atom of Force. Ad- 
vanced science has hinted at this very fact within the 
last few years, and we may expect the fact to be ac- 
cepted generally before very long. When the scientists 
then probe Force or Energy until they find its "Ulti- 
mate," they will come to a melting point when the elu- 
sive Force will dissolve into Mind-substance, and that 
back of "Mind-substance" is the Absolute. But that is 
a long way off for the physical scientist, although an 
old fact for the Yogis. 

We have reached the end of our space, and must 
postpone the further consideration of Matter until the 
next lesson. 



LESSON XI. 

Matter and Force. 

Our last lesson closed in the midst of an inquiry 
into the manifestation known as Matter. As we stated 
there, Science has assumed that Matter is composed 
of atoms, and that these atoms may be divided and 
re-divided until, finally, there will appear an atom 
incapable of further division — an Ultimate Atom, in 
fact — something in the nature of Absolute Matter. 
Various theories have been advanced by scientists to 
account for the atom — you must remember that this 
Ultimate Atom is a purely theoretical and hypothetical 
thing — no one has ever found it, and it could not be 
seen even with the strongest microscope, even if it 
were found. Recent discoveries, notably that of the 
"X Rays," and "Radium," have disturbed these the- 
ories, and scientists just now are very much at sea re- 
garding this question of "the atom." They generally 
had accepted the idea that the atom of hydrogen was 
the "Ultimate Atom," or at least so near to it that 
the difference was infinitesimal, when these recent 
discoveries upset their theories, and the experiments 
showing the so-called "radiant energy" and "radio- 
activity" caused them to agree that that which had 
been considered the final thing in atoms was capable of 
still further analysis. Science at the present time is 



2 8 4 ADVANCED COURSE. 

on the verge of admitting the Yogi teachings that 
the finer forms of Matter shade or melt into Energy 
or Force, and that Matter is but a less refined, or a 
grosser form of Energy or Force. 

"The last thing in Matter," as the newspapers and 
magazines somewhat flippantly style it, is what have 
been called "electrons," which are in the nature of 
minute charges of electricity. It has been stated by an 
eminent scientist that one may get a feeble idea of the 
relations between these electrons and the atom by imag- 
ining a room 200 feet long, 80 feet wide, and 50 feet 
high, and having scattered within this space 1,000 lit- 
tle electric charges, each the size of an ordinary full- 
stop or "period" of newspaper type — this (.) is the 
size. The space and room enjoyed by the "full-stop" 
in the aforesaid room, corresponds to the space and 
room enjoyed by the "electrons" in an atom. When 
it is considered that the atom itself, containing these 
electrons, is invisible to the human sight, we may 
form an idea of the size of this thing called an 
"electron" by modern science. These "electrons" are 
stated to be violently energetic and to be in constant 
motion, revolving around each other like planets in 
a minute universe. It must be remembered that this 
theory has been evolved and accepted as a necessity 
by the scientists, although both the atom and "elec- 
tron" are invisible — they became necessary to account 
for certain other things, and so were invented, and 
will serve their purpose until something better offers 
itself. We mention the matter, not as accepting it 



MATTER AND FORCE. 285 

as final, but merely to point out how near modern 
science is to accepting the Yogi theory of the identity 
of Matter with Energy or Force. Students will no- 
tice, from time to time, that each new scientific dis- 
covery will point further to this idea, and how, later 
on, Force and Energy will be recognized as shading 
and melting into "Mind." Some reader of this les- 
son, fifty years or more from now, will smile when 
he reads this prediction (?) and sees how nearly it 
has been fulfilled. We extend our hand across the 
half-century to such future reader, who is very likely 
unborn at this moment. And even in that day, there 
will be no understanding of "Mind," unless it be 
considered as a manifestation of the Absolute, in- 
stead of being itself absolute, for Spirit is as much 
higher than Mind as we know it, as Mind is higher 
than Force or Energy, and as Force or Energy is 
higher than Matter. Mind, Force and Matter are 
three forms of one manifestation, and the Absolute 
underlies all — it is the Manifestor of Manifestations. 
Let us rapidly run over the accepted theories of 
modern science, regarding Matter, so that we may 
see how closely it is touching the Yogi teachings. 
Modern science regards Matter as occupying infinite 
space continuously, and being everywhere in some 
form. It also holds that the sum of matter is eternal 
and unchangeable, that is, that there neither can be 
an addition to, or subtraction from, the sum total of 
matter — that there never can be more matter, or less 
matter, than there is at the present time, and that the 



286 ADVANCED COURSE. 

total quantity now has always been the total quantity. 
This theory, of course, holds that Matter must have 
always existed, as it could not have been made out 
of "nothing" ; and must always exist because it can- 
not be destroyed, for "something"' can never become 
"nothing." It is held by science that although Mat- 
ter may change its form, and work into countless 
combinations (as it does constantly), still Matter (in 
itself) never really changes ; loses anything, or gains 
anything ; and that it is the same yesterday, today and 
to-morrow. That it is, in fact. Infinite and Eternal. 
You see that science has been making a God of Mat- 
ter — has been attributing to it qualities of the Abso- 
lute, instead of qualities belonging to a manifesta- 
tion of the Absolute, such qualities being merely loaned 
it instead of being the "property" of Matter. The 
Yogis hold that Matter (in itself) does not exist, 
but is a form of Energy, which Energy is a form of 
Mind, which Mind is a manifestation of the Abso- 
lute. For the purpose of teaching, however, it speaks 
of the three, Mind, Force, and Matter, as the Three 
Manifestations, shading into each other, and we will 
so speak of them in our lessons. Some scientists have 
held that Matter was "The Whole Thing," and that 
Force and Mind were but qualities and incidents of 
Matter. Others have held that Energy and Force was 
the "Real Thing," and that Matter was but a mani- 
festation of Force, and that Mind was a quality or 
kind of Force. So far, none of the physical scientists 
treat Mind as being the "Real Thing," with Force 



MATTER AND FORCE. 287 

and Matter as qualities or attributes, although some 
of the metaphysicians and philosophers have held that 
"Mind is All, and All is Mind," and that Matter and 
Force were "illusions," or, non-existent. This view 
has been followed by certain schools of metaphysi- 
cians of religio-metaphysical cults. The student will 
see that the Yogi Philosophy accepts each and all of 
these views as partly correct, either viewed separately 
or collectively, but teaches that underlying all three 
of the so-called "absolutes," "ultimates," or "real 
things," lies the only Reality — the Absolute, from 
which the three Manifestations emanate. The Yogi 
Philosophy antagonizes none of the schools of thought, 
but harmonizes and explains each set of theories, un- 
der one grand system. Even among the various 
schools of Oriental thought are found the above men- 
tioned three forms of thought or theory, but those 
who search among the head-waters of the stream of the 
Ancient Teachings will find that all emerge from the 
true Yogi teachings of the One — the Absolute — the 
Manifestor of All Manifestations, transcending Mat- 
ter, Force and even Mind. 

Before leaving the physical scientists' theories of 
Matter, we must not neglect to mention that science 
has been forced to accept the theory of an "ether,"' or 
very fine form of Matter, which is stated to fill all 
space — the space between the stars and solar systems 
— the spaces between the atoms, molecules, "elec- 
trons," etc., in so-called "solid" bodies. This "ether" 
is stated to be quite thin, tenuous, rare, fine, etc., far 



288 ADVANCED COURSE. 

more so, in fact, than any of the finest gases or va- 
pors known to us. No one ever has seen, heard, 
tasted, smelt, or felt, this "ether," but its existence is 
found necessary to account for certain physical phe- 
nomena, the transmission of light and heat, etc. Sci- 
ence has found it imperative to hold that Matter is 
infinite, and that it exists in some form everywhere, 
and so it is compelled to formulate and accept the 
existence of a very tenuous form of Matter to "fill 
in the spaces," and so the theory of "ether" arose. 

The Yogi Philosophy has no quarrel with Western 
physical science over this question of the "Ether." In 
fact, it holds that this "ether" exists, in seven different 
grades of thinness or tenuity, the Sanscrit term (in 
use for centuries) being "Akasa." Akasa is the San- 
scrit term for the principle of the Manifestation of 
Matter. The teachings are that it pervades and pen- 
etrates infinite space — that it is everywhere ; omnipres- 
ent. It is taught that every and all forms of Matter 
evolve from this Akasa — first the six lower forms of 
"ether" in succession; then the gases and vapors, in 
their order of fineness ; then the air ; then the liquids ; 
then the solids. The Akasa is the substance compos- 
ing the finest gases, and the densest solids — the sun ; 
the moon ; the stars ; the air ; the water ; the human 
body ; the body of the animals ; the body of the plants ; 
the earth ; the rocks — everything having form ; every 
shape ; everything that can be sensed by the ordinary 
senses. Besides this, the higher forms of Akasa are 
finer and more tenuous and subtle than any form of 



MATTER AND FORCE. 289 

matter perceptible to the senses of the ordinary man. 
The "souls" of the disembodied, both those that have 
passed out at death, as well as those which are trav- 
eling in the astral body, have a "body" of fine matter, 
imperceptible to the ordinary senses. And beings on 
higher planes than ours are encased in some of its 
subtle forms, such a vehicle being necessary for the 
holding together of the several elements in the con- 
stitution of man and the higher beings. Matter in 
some form is necessary for Force and Energy to play 
upon, and Mind must always have a body of Matter 
(oftener of the most refined kind) in order to manifest 
itself at all. The Absolute uses its finest form of Man- 
ifestation (Mind is its highest form) for certain ex- 
pression, and Mind in turn, uses the lower vehicles. 
Force and Matter as its tools ; instruments ; conve- 
niences ; and vehicles of expression. We mention this 
at this place that the student may remember that there 
are grades of matter very much higher than that which 
are perceptible to our ordinary senses. So clearly 
is this fact known to advanced occultists, that some 
of the old writers, using Oriental imagery, have used 
the term "The Body of God" in referring to Matter. 
And this expression may help the student to appre- 
ciate the importance and dignity of Matter, although 
seeing its comparative lowness in the scale. We should 
avoid the folly of the physical scientists who make of 
Matter a God ; and the twin folly of many metaphy- 
sicians and idealists, who would make of Matter a 
base thing, a Devil, or even "Nothing."' 



soo ADVANCED COURSE. 

We did not intend to take you into the details re- 
garding Akasa in this lesson, but we may mention 
this much at this point. The essence or finest prin- 
ciple of Akasa is of so fine a form of Matter that it 
cannot be sensed by any except the highest form of 
intelligences — it is unknown to all except the highly 
evolved souls who use this form of Akasa as a vehicle 
or body. It is the thin veil of substance separating 
those advanced minds from the Universal Mind, but 
there is no real separation, and such Minds are in the 
closest contact with the Universal Mind. This form 
of Akasa is the highest form of Matter — some Yogi 
writers call it "Matter Itself." At the beginning of 
the several great periods of life in the various parts 
of the Universe — or in the various Universes, if you 
prefer the term — the only form of Matter manifested 
is Akasa in its finest form. Then the Absolute, using 
its manifestation of the Universal Mind, sets into 
operation Force, Energy or Prana which plays upon, 
or acts upon, this Akasa, and causes it to become each 
of the lower six forms of "ether" in succession. That 
is, causes it to send forth a part of itself in those 
forms. Then, in succession it becomes manifested in 
the shape of the finer vapors ; gases ; air ; liquids ; sol- 
ids, etc., until there is a manifestation of each form of 
Akasa from the highest (or Akasic Essence) to the 
densest solid. At the end of a world cycle, or as it 
progresses toward its end, there is a gradual "drawing 
in" of the forms of Akasa, the densest forms disap- 
pearing, and being followed (after ages) by the next in 



MATTER AND FORCE. 291 

line, until solids disappear; then liquids; then gases 
and vapors; and so on until all Akasa is drawn into 
itself, and only its essence, the principle of Akasa, 
remains, until it is again set into motion at the be- 
ginning of a new cycle. 

The attentive and thoughtful student may ask him- 
self whether, by analogy, he may not suppose that in 
some great Cosmic Cycle, there might not come a 
time when the Akasa would be drawn into the Prana 
and the Prana into the Chitta, and the Chitta into the 
Absolute itself. And whether the statement that these 
things are manifestations of the Absolute manifestor, 
does not imply that they had a "beginning" — a time 
when the manifestation began. And whether this con- 
clusion might not lead to another that there are a 
series of great Cosmic Cycles, and so on until the mind 
can think no further. To this expected question we 
would say that there are Cosmic processes so stupen- 
dous and magnificent that even souls so far advanced 
that they may be considered archangels and gods are 
unable to grasp the thought of them. The highest 
teachers have handed down to us this word, but as 
they do so they confess to having had glimpses of 
things so far transcending even their capacity for un- 
derstanding and comprehension, that their god-like 
minds reeled and swam. This being the case, we may 
be justified in not asking the student to consider any- 
thing higher than a World Cycle, of which we may 
speak in a future lesson, or a future series of lessons. 
But remember this, brothers on the Path, that though 



292 ADVANCED COURSE. 

this contemplation of the workings of the Divine Cos- 
mos and its parts may seem to carry God afar off 
from this earth — from us — the Truth is that notwith- 
standing these stupendous operations and workings 
God — the Absolute — is here with you always; here 
around you ; here in you. Closer than a brother is He 
— closer than a mother to her babe — closer than a lover 
to the loved one — nearer to You than is your heart; 
your blood; your brain. The Spirit is always with 
you — do not lose courage. And this is true of. the 
humblest; the lowliest; the vilest — as truly as of the 
most exalted ; the highest ; the purest. The difference 
is only in the degree of recognition of the Spirit on 
the part of the man. 

Let not these scientific statements and teachings 
distress you, if you fail to understand them, or have 
no taste for them. It is not necessary for you even to 
believe them, much less understand them, much less 
like the study. This is all that is necessary: Learn 
to know that God is within you and all others — that 
you are as necessary to Him as he is to you, for you 
are a part of His plan — learn to realize the One Life 
in All — and open yourself to the inflow of the Divine 
Love and Wisdom, and be willing to grow, develop 
and unfold. In your studies you will find that the 
same law applies to the great things and the small, in 
this world, of forms. The same law governs the 
evolution of Universes that regulates the life of the 
atom. "As above, so below," says the old occult 
proverb, and the more you study the more will you 



MATTER AND FORCE. 293 

perceive its truth. Study the things that lie nearest 
to you, and you will have the key to the things be- 
yond you. "There is no great ; there is no small" in 
God's World of Forms. Have Faith — have Courage 
— have Hope — and above all have Love, and Charity. 
We shall now consider the Second Great Manifesta- 
tion or Relativity. 

(2) Energy or Force. (Prana.) 

Energy or Force is a principle of Nature which 
may be defined as "the power of resisting or over- 
coming resistance," or "that which produces Motion." 
A bent spring possesses Energy, for it is capable of do- 
ing work in returning to its former form ; a charge 
of gunpowder possesses Energy, for it is capable of do- 
ing work in exploding; a Leyden jar charged with 
electricity possesses Energy, for it is capable of doing 
work in being discharged. All particles of Matter 
that fill infinite space are in constant and perpetual 
motion. This Motion is considered by science to be 
infinite and eternal, that is. existing everywhere and 
forever. Every physical change and every chemical 
process is associated with a change in the atoms com- 
posing Matter — a readjustment and changing of com- 
binations. All forms of motion ; gravitation ; all forms 
of force ; electricity ; magnetism ; light ; heat ; cohe- 
sion ; nerve-force ; in fact all forms of motion, or force, 
that manifest in the change in the position of the 
particles of matter, are forms of Energy, or mani- 
festations of its principle. To those unfamiliar with 



294 ADVANCED COURSE. 

the subject, the idea of Energy perhaps may be best 
carried in the mind by the idea of "the Principle 
causing Motion and Change in Matter." 

The theories of modern science regarding Energy, 
resemble those regarding Matter. That is, it is held 
that although Energy may manifest in numberless 
forms, and may be transformed and changed from 
one form to another, yet the sum total of Energy in 
the Universe is fixed and unchangeable, and that not 
a single particle of Energy may be created, nor de- 
stroyed — that no matter how it may change form and 
transform itself into varying forms, that such changes 
are like the changing forms and combinations of Mat- 
ter, and are merely relative and not actual, inasmuch 
as Energy as a zvhole is not affected and remains the 
same in principle and amount. This theory or prin- 
ciple of physical science is known as "The Principle 
of the Conservation of Energy." 

It will be seen from a consideration of the above 
that science holds that no material power can bring 
into existence a single particle of Matter, or a single 
particle of Energy. Nor can any material power take 
out of existence a single particle of either Matter or 
Energy. Both are regarded as fixed and unchangeable. 
We may change the form of Matter, or rather the com- 
binations of its atoms, and we may transform one 
form of Energy into another, and so on, but neither 
may be created nor destroyed. Energy is the prin- 
ciple that works change in Matter, and many scien- 
tists speak of it as a "property or quality of Matter," 



MATTER AND FORCE. 295 

while others regard it as a separate principle, work- 
ing in connection with Matter. An example of the 
transformation of one form of Energy into another, 
and so on, is as follows : 

An electric lamp shows a light, which light is pro- 
duced by the passage of electricity through the little 
thread of carbon, the latter offering a resistance to 
the electricity — resistance causing the energy of the 
electricity to be transformed into heat and light. The 
electricity is produced from a dynamo, the power of 
which is imparted by a steam engine. The steam en- 
gine takes up motion from the Energy of steam, which 
steam is produced by the expansion of water by the 
Energy of heat. The heat is a form of Energy trans- 
formed from the Energy in the coal, which energy is 
released by combustion. The coal obtains its chem- 
ical energy from the sun which imparted it to the 
trees from which the coal originated, or else, perhaps, 
from the Energy inherent in its atoms. The sun or 
atoms obtained their Energy from the Universal En- 
ergy. So you see, the whole process is a chain of 
transformation. It might be carried much further; 
for instance, the electricity might have been used to 
run a belt, and the belt to impart its motion to certain 
machinery, and so on. But the principle is the same 
in all cases. The student is advised to read some ele- 
mentary work on Natural Philosophy, or Physics, in 
order to get a more detailed idea of Energy, Force, 
Motion, etc. Examples of the transforming of En- 
ergy from one form of motion to another may be seen 



296 ADVANCED COURSE. 

in every act. We pick up a ball, and sending a nerve- 
current from the brain, cause certain muscles of the 
arm to contract and expand, which process imparts 
motion to the ball and throws it from the hand. The 
ball strikes another object, and throws it down, and 
so on. A row of bricks extending around the world 
could be toppled over, one after the other, by impart- 
ing a slight motion to the first one, which would pass 
it on to the next, and so on. The Energy in gun- 
powder, when released in a close chamber, is im- 
parted to the bullet in the shape of motion, and the 
bullet travels through space, until the Energy in the 
earth, known as the Attraction of Gravitation, over- 
comes the imparted motion of the powder, and even- 
tually imparts to the ball a new motion which causes 
it to be drawn toward the earth. 

Science (both physical and occult) teaches that all 
Matter is in constant motion — that is, the atoms are in 
constant vibration. This motion or vibration of course 
is imparted by the principle of Energy. We cannot 
perceive this motion, but it is known to exist, and 
Life as it is would be impossible without it. Each 
form of Matter has its own rate of vibration. We 
cannot spare the space for a consideration of this part 
of the subject, and must refer the student who wishes 
to investigate the theories and facts of material science 
to the many text books on the subject which may be 
found at any book store or public library. We have 
stated the principal theory, and will now pass on to 
the Yogi teaching of Prana, which .corresponds very 



MATTER AND FORCE. 297 

closely with the teachings of physical science regard- 
ing Energy. In fact there is very little ground for 
difference on general principles possible to investiga- 
tors of the subject. 

The Yogi Philosophy teaches that in the world of 
forms, or relativity, all Matter, or forms of Akasa, is 
in perpetual motion— there is no rest in the world of 
Matter. The apparent rest of material objects is only 
relative and not a fact. Heat and Light are merely 
forms of motion, a manifestation of Energy. Suns 
and worlds rush through space— their particles are 
constantly changing and moving— chemical composi- 
tion and decomposition is constant and unceasing- 
building up and breaking down are invariable inci- 
dents of cell-life; atom-life; and molecular being. 
There is no rest in Nature at any point. Work is con- 
stantly being done, and something is always being 
produced (in the sense of new combinations being 
formed, for there is no creation of something from 
nothing). 

This Energy or Force, the cause of Motion, Change 
and Action, is known by the Sanscrit word, "Prana." 
Prana, like Matter or Akasa, is present everywhere. 
Modern physical science holds that both are "eternal" 
in themselves, but the Yogi Philosophy teaches that 
they are both emanations or Manifestations of the Ab- 
solute, and are eternal only through the Absolute, and 
not in themselves— in themselves they are relative and 
not eternal. They were expressed, manifested or 
"projected" from the Absolute, and again may be 



298 ADVANCED COURSE. 

withdrawn within the Unmanifest, but with this ex- 
planation, they are what physical science supposes 
them to be, when it speaks of them as "infinite and 
eternal." Modern science, as a rule, considers them 
as separate principles, but the Yogi Philosophy teaches 
that Matter or Akasa is a grosser form of Energy or 
Prana, and was projected from the latter. But to all 
intents and purposes, they may be regarded as two 
separate principles, in our consideration of the Uni- 
verse. 

Prana manifests in all forms of action, energy, mo- 
tion, and force, as we have explained in our con- 
sideration of Energy. It has many grades, forms and 
degrees, but the principle underlying each is the same. 
These different forms may be transformed from one 
to another, as we have seen in our consideration of 
Energy, the Eastern and Western teaching agreeing 
perfectly in this respect. They also agree, in the 
main, in the theory of the "Conservation of Energy," 
inasmuch as the Yogi teachings are that the sum-total 
of the Prana in the Universe cannot be added to or 
taken away from; but here, note the difference, the 
Yogis teach that Prana is a grosser form of Mind, and 
is expressed by the Absolute through Mind, and may 
be withdrawn eventually in the same way. But in 
the general consideration of the subject, the Western 
theory may be accepted as a reasonable "working hy- 
pothesis." 

Western science teaches that "there can be no Mat- 
ter without Energy — and no Energy without Matter." 



MATTER AND FORCE. icp 

The Yogi Philosophy agrees that Matter without En- 
ergy is inconceivable, but that there is such a thing 
as Energy without Matter, for there was Energy or 
Prana before there was Matter or Akasa, although in 
that case there was merely the real principle of Energy, 
latent and not manifested in Motion, which is far from 
being the same as that something caused by the play 
of Energy upon Matter, which we call Motion or 
Force. One was non-acting, while the other is man- 
ifest action. As we sense the Universe, however, 
there is no matter without Energy, and no Energy not 
manifested in and through Matter. So, in this case 
also, the Western theory may be accepted by the stu- 
dent as a "working hypothesis/' although he must not 
lose sight of the real teaching. 

We have spoken of Prana, or rather, of that form 
of Prana known as Vital Energy, etc., in our little 
manual "Science of Breath," and in some of our 
"Fourteen Lessons," and in "HatJm Yoga" In our 
next series of lessons, which will be on the subject of 
"Raja Yoga," we Mall take up many important ques- 
tions regarding Prana in its other forms (that is, 
apart from Vital Force, etc.) and its control by the 
Mind and Will. The student may see, from what we 
have said, that Prana being a grosser manifestation- 
than Chitta or Mind-substance, and, in fact, a projec- 
tion or form of same, that one who understands the 
laws and principles of the matter may exercise a great 
control over Prana through the Mind, under the direc- 
tion of the Will. This subject comes under the head 



3 oo ADVANCED COURSE. . 

of "Raja Yoga" and will be considered in our treat- 
ment of that subject in our next lessons as above 
stated. We cannot dwell upon the matter at this 
point, but in order that you may form a general idea 
of it, we may say that the positive can always control 
the negative. Chitta stands to Prana in the relation 
of the positive to the negative — and the control is pos- 
sible, with knowledge, under the direction of the Will. 
What the Yogis know as Pranayama is the science or 
art of controlling the Prana by the Mind, or Will. 
This is a feature of the science of "Raja Yoga," and 
in its highest form, as possessed and exercised by the 
advanced spiritual men of the East and West, con- 
stitutes the basis of the power of the "Adepts," and 
"Masters," as they are known to the world. The 
greater teachings on the subject are carefully kept 
within the knowledge of the few, lest mankind would 
basely misuse the power were it to be made known 
generally. But, still, there is quite a portion of the 
teachings that are now allowed to be made public to 
those ready for it, and any one possessed of sufficient 
application and determination, in connection with 
spiritual development, may put into practice a greater 
or less degree of the science of Pranayama. There 
are other features, of "Raja Yoga," besides this one, 
such as the control of the Mind or Chitta, etc., etc., 
but Pranayama forms one of the leading teachings. 

Before leaving the subject of Energy or Prana, we 
wish to call the attention of our students to the fact 
that occasional glimpses of the truth of the Yogi 



MATTER AND FORCE. 301 

teachings that Energy is a grosser manifestation of 
Mind, and shades or melts into the latter, are afforded 
to close scientific observers of the phenomena of En- 
ergy or Force. Observers and investigators have 
been struck by the occasional conviction that Force 
or Energy, in some of its forms, displayed a some- 
thing akin to intelligent action, instead of acting like 
"blind" force. When the attention of the scientific in- 
vestigators is directed to this fact (and it will be be- 
fore long) they will notice, classify and investigate the 
same, and new theories will be evolved and taught to 
account for the same. Science must eventually come 
to accept facts bearing out the truth of the Yogi teach- 
ings — for they exist. 

Leaving the subject of Prana or Energy, we pass on 
to a consideration of the Third Great Manifestation 
or Relativity: 

(3) Mind; Mind-substance (Chitta). 

Let us first see what physical science has to say re- 
garding what is known as "Mind." Western material 
science has hazarded many theories regarding the 
nature of Mind. As a rule they have discarded the 
theories of the metaphysicians and philosophers of the 
past, and have sought to find a material basis for men- 
tal phenomena. They have tried to find a satisfactory 
theory along the lines that Mind is simply a mani- 
festation of Matter — a chemical effect — a mechanical 
effect, etc. — something growing out of; emanating 
from ; or manifesting from Matter. One leading sci- 



302 ADVANCED COURSE. 

entist has hazarded the idea that the brain secreted 
Mind, just as the liver secreted bile. Just think of it 
— Mind a secretion of Matter ! The materialists have 
made the mistake of commencing at the wrong end. 
They would make Matter the Ultimate and Absolute, 
and Energy and Mind something springing from it, 
when the reverse of that process would be far nearer 
correct according to the Yogi teachings. However, 
advanced science is beginning to see its error, and is 
inclining to the idea that Mind, Energy, and Matter 
are one thing — different forms of something that they 
are calling "Substance," and similar names. They 
are drawing much nearer to the "dreams" of the oc- 
cultists, whom they formerly despised. 

Webster defines "Mind" as follows: "The intellec- 
tual or rational faculty in man ; the understanding ; 
the power that conceives, judges or reasons," which 
definition entirely overlooks the fact that Mind is man- 
ifest in the lower animals, and in plant life, and even 
in minerals. However, those holding the idea that 
Mind belongs to man alone, call the Mind of animals, 
instinct, appetency, etc., and the Mind in minerals, 
"chemical affinity," etc. "Instinct" is the term gen- 
erally applied to the mental operations of the lower an- 
imals, and "Appetency" is defined as follows by the 
authority above mentioned : "Appetency is the ten- 
dency of organized bodies to select and imbibe such 
portions of matter as serve to support and nourish 
them, or such particles as are designed through their 
agency, to carry on the animal or vegetable economy." 



MATTER AND FORCE. 303 

So that those holding the theory of man's monopoly 
of Mind, nevertheless have to admit the possession of 
"something like Mind" in the lower animal and vege- 
table kingdoms. Recent scientific observers regard 
the chemical or molecular action of minerals as a form 
of mind, which view, of course, is that of the Yogis 
who hold that Mind is an invariable accompaniment of 
Matter and Energy, this being true of every atom 
as well as the combinations of atoms. The Yogis 
hold that all forms of consciousness from mere sen- 
sation to the highest forms of spiritual consciousness, 
are all manifestations and forms of Mind. 

In this lesson we shall not have space to consider 
questions of psychology, in fact, such a course would 
be foreign to the purpose of the lesson. But in order 
to convey to the student our idea of the meaning of 
"Mind" we must say that by "a manifestation of 
Mind" we mean any act of consciousness, and by 
"consciousness" we mean any evidence or manifesta- 
tion of "awareness," from mere "sensation" to the 
highest forms of consciousness. The student presently 
will see why we make this explanation. 

"Sensation," the lowest form of consciousness 
known to us, is defined by Webster as: "An impres- 
sion made upon the mind through the medium of the 
organs of sense ; feeling awakened by external objects, 
or by some change in the internal state of the body." 
Sensation is that form of "awareness" or conscious- 
ness, known as a "feeling." It is not exactly the same 
as "perception," for "sensation" is a "feeling," while 



304 ADVANCED COURSE. 

"perception" is a "knowing" of the "sensation" — the 
"perception" interprets the "sensation." For instance, 
we may "feel" the presence of a fly on our hand — 
that is "sensation." When our mind realizes that 
something is on the hand causing a sensation, that is 
"perception." One's' sense of smell may make him 
aware of an odor, then his mind turns its attention to 
the odor, in response to the stimulus of the sensation, 
and realizes that he is smelling a rose- — do you note 
the distinction? However, this is not a lesson in 
psychology — we merely want you to realize what "sen- 
sation" is, when we speak of it as an evidence of 
mind. There can be no sensation without some bit 
of Mind-substance to accept it. Just as there can be 
no sensation unless there is something to "cause" it 
— so there can be no sensation unless there is some- 
thing to "receive" it — and that receiving-thing is 
Mind-substance in some degree, or form. This is the 
point we wish you to remember. Simple Consciousness 
and Self-Consciousness are higher forms of "aware- 
ness" than Sensation, but the difference is only in 
degree, not in kind. The Sensation of the most un- 
developed form of life differs only in degree from 
the highest form of consciousness or mental effort 
on the part of Man, or even beings much higher in the 
scale than Man (for such beings exist — they are as 
much more advanced than man, as man is than the 
beetle — but they were once men, and men will be like 
them some day). Outside of the Absolute, all de- 
grees of "knowing" are acts of the Mind, and the 



MATTER AND FORCE. 305 

forms are mere matters of degree. Mind is a uni- 
versal principle, just as is Matter or Energy, and it 
resembles them very closely regarding its manifesta- 
tions and combinations. 

Let us return to the views of modern physical sci- 
ence. We will take Ernest Haekel as representing the 
front rank of advanced science of to-day. His works 
are regarded as extreme and radical, and he em- 
bodies in them the advanced theories of the material- 
istic thought of the age. Haekel does not recognize 
anything higher than "Substance," and believes the 
Universe to be self-existing, and without any preced- 
ing cause. His works show, however, that modern 
science has gotten away from the old materialist idea 
of "dead" matter, and "raw" matter, and that he, 
himself has reached the highest materialistic concep- 
tion known to the mind of Man. In fact, the school 
of thought that he has founded, advancing along the 
lines laid down by him, will soon be separated by only 
the thinnest partition from the school of advanced 
"spiritual" thought. One is reminded of the crea- 
tion of the great tunnel through the Alps, in which the 
work was begun from each of the two sides, the two 
sets of workers meeting exactly in the middle, and the 
two halves of the tunnel being found to fit exactly to 
each other's lines. Each set of these mental workers 
will meet the other, and will find the Absolute in the 
centre — although they may call it by different names. 

Haekel in his great work "The Wonders of Life," 
lays down the doctrine of a Monism composed of a 



3o6 ADVANCED COURSE. 

"trinity of Substance." He formulates it in the fol- 
lowing three propositions: "(i) No matter without 
force and without sensation; (2) No force without 
matter and without sensation; (3) No sensation with- 
out matter and without force." He goes on to say 
of the above : "These three fundamental attributes 
are found inseparably united throughout the whole 
universe, in every atom and every molecule." This 
is a most wonderful admission coming from one of 
the leaders — if not the leader of modern materialistic 
thought. Its significance will be appreciated by those 
of our students who are familiar with the old mate- 
rialistic point of view, as contrasted with that of the 
Yogi teachings. Haekel in his consideration of the 
three-fold aspect of Substance, holds that Matter is 
an extended substance, occupying infinite space, and 
being eternal and unchangeable ; that Energy or Force 
is also infinite, in eternal motion, and unchangeable in 
its sum-total, according to the law of the "con- 
servation of energy" ; that sensation being joined to 
matter and energy as the third attribute of substance, 
the universal law of the permanence of substance must 
be extended to it, therefore, sensation must be eternal 
and unchangeable in its quantity or sum-total. He 
holds that the "changes" in sensation, like those in 
matter and energy, mean only the conversion of one 
form of itself into another form of itself. It will be 
seen that by "sensation," Haekel means that which 
we call Mind, for he explains that "the whole mental 
life of humanity * * * has its roots in the sen- 



MATTER AND FORCE. 307 

sations of each individual," and he approvingly quotes 
Nageli's remark that: "The mind of man is only the 
highest development of the spiritual processes that 
animate the whole of nature." Consider this as com- 
ing from the centre of advanced materialistic thought. 
Is not the trend of events made plain? 

The student will note the differences between the 
Yogi Philosophy and Scientific Monism as expounded 
by Haekel and other leading scientists representing the 
school of "The New Materialism." The Yogi Philos- 
ophy teaches the existence and being of the only Real- 
ity — the Absolute, which reality manifests in the shape 
of Three Great Relativities, Matter or Akasa; En- 
ergy, Force or Prana, and Mind, Mind-substance, or 
Chitta (the latter being in the nature of "a refined and 
subtle principle," rather than of a "substance" akin 
to matter.) These three manifestations, are really 
but three forms of one great manifestation, and pro- 
ceed from the finest, Mind, to the next finest, Energy 
or Force, on to the grossest. Matter — the three shading 
into each other, as explained in this lesson. The man- 
ifestations emanate from the Absolute, and may again 
be withdrawn into it — they are relative to it, and in 
the absolute sense of words have no real existence, 
that is, no existence apart from the Absolute. The 
Absolute is all that really IS — that is, that exists of 
itself — is self-existent — depends upon nothing else — 
has no cause — has nothing into which it may be with- 
drawn or absorbed. The school of Scientific Monism 
holds that all that there IS is a physical something 



308 ADVANCED COURSE. 

which they call "Substance," which possesses three 
"attributes or properties," which are called Matter, 
Energy, and Sensation. Matter is regarded as the 
space-occupying property or attribute; Energy as the 
moving or motor property or attribute ; and Sensa- 
tion as the feeling (and consequently "thinking") at- 
tribute or quality. "Substance" is held to be self-ex- 
istent ; infinite ; eternal ; and unchangeable in quantity 
or sum-total, although apparently changeable in the 
forms of its attributes or qualities. 

The Yogi Philosophy teaches the existence of the 
Spirit, that presence of the Absolute outside of its 
manifestations — 'Scientific Monism has nothing to say 
of Spirit (it does not recognize it) and "Substance" 
seems to be the sum or combination of Matter, Energy, 
and Sensation, rather than as a "thing in itself" from 
which all relativities flow. So far as we are able to 
see and understand the philosophy of Scientific Mon- 
ism, it does not speak of or teach of anything akin to 
the "Spirit" or "Essence" of "Substance," but, in- 
stead, treats Substance as a purely physical thing, the 
spiritual nature of things being denied, or ignored as 
unnecessary and non-existent. We trust that we have 
correctly reported the ideas of this Monistic school of 
materialistic, scientific thought, at least such has been 
our intention. It seems to us as if that school holds 
to the idea of a self-existent Universe — a universe 
without a cause, or God, or Absolute Being — in other 
words, its teaching seems to be that the Universe is its 
own God. It, of course, denies the survival of con- 



MATTER AND FORCE. 309 

sciousness after death, or the immortality of the soul, 
and teaches that the "soul" is a purely material and 
physical thing, a development of "Sensation." We 
call our students' attention to the differences between 
the two philosophies, as well as to their points of re- 
semblance. Both teach the "Oneness of All," but 
how different is the understanding- of that ONE ! We 
think that the Spiritual Mind of the student will so illu- 
minate his Intellect that it will see the truth in the 
midst of these conflicting teachings, which still show 
in their resemblance, that instinctive and intuitive lean- 
ing of the human mind toward the idea of "Oneness." 
To those to whom have come the spiritual awakening 
of consciousness, will be apparent the point at which 
the Monistic Philosophy leaves the right Path for the 
illusive side track from which it will be compelled to 
return in the future. 

In our next lesson we will endeavor to explain the 
nature and qualities of Chitta or Mind-substance, as 
well as to give you the teachings regarding At man 
or Spirit, and Man's relation to the Absolute. 

Peace be with thee. 



***> 



LESSON XII. 

Mind and Spirit. 

In this lesson we shall take up the subject at the 
point at which it was dropped at the close of the last 
lesson, i. e., the consideration of the nature and quali- 
ties of Chitta — Mind-substance, which is the First 
Great Manifestation or Relativity. 

While we speak of this Manifestation as Mind, we 
have thought it better to give you the Sanscrit word 
used by the Yogi teachers, which is "Chitta," which 
word when freely translated means "Mind-substance," 
rather than "Mind," the difference being that the En- 
glish word "Mind" has a rather metaphysical mean- 
ing, signifying a vague something — a condition or 
state rather than a "thing," while "Chitta," the San- 
scrit word, means Mind as a "substance," a "thing," 
hence our definition of it as "Mind-substance." In 
order to fix the idea more firmly in your mind, let us 
see just what the word "Substance" means. Webster 
defines it as "that which underlies all outward mani- 
festations; nature; essence." The word is derived 
from the Latin words "sub" meaning "under," and 
"stare," meaning "to stand," the two words combined 
meaning "to stand under," or "to underlie." (When 
we realize that "substare" may be defined also as "to 
understand," we may see new light in the meaning of 
'substance," and realize that its use as the "underly- 

8U 



3 i2 ADVANCED COURSE. 

ing principle of Mind" is proper.) So you see Chitta 
means "Mind-substance," or that which underlies the 
outward manifestations that we know as Mind — it is 
"Mind in itself," the Universal Mind (not the Abso- 
lute, however, as you must remember). 

The Yogis teach that this Chitta or Mind-substance, 
is universal and omnipresent — that is, exists every- 
where, and is found at every place in the Universe. 
Its sum-total is fixed and cannot be added to or taken 
away from, and therefore it is unchangeable in its 
sum-total, although like Matter and Energy many 
apparent changes may occur within itself, resulting 
from the forming of new combinations. 

Mind-substance may be considered as a higher phase 
of Energy or Matter, just as Matter may be consid- 
ered as a grosser form of Mind-substance or Energy. 
You will remember that Mind-substance was the First 
Manifestation, and from it emanated Energy, and 
from Energy emanated Matter, so you see that all 
form parts of one real substance, varying in degrees 
— all are parts of the great three-fold manifestation 
of or emanation of the Absolute. 

Mind-substance somewhat resembles Energy, but 
still it is "more so." It bears the same relation to 
Energy that Energy does to Matter. Let us see if we 
cannot describe it better. In some of the higher 
forms of Matter one sees that the characteristics of 
Matter melt into those belonging to Energy. Take 
Electricity or Magnetism for example — you may see 
there a combination of Energy and Matter that is most 



MIND AND SPIRIT. 313 

interesting, and are enabled to see Energy appear- 
ing as a "thing" that can "almost be cut with a knife." 
And in the same way, in some of the higher forms of 
Electrical Energy, one may be compelled to feel that 
"the thing almost thinks," so near does it come to the 
blending line between Energy and Mind-substance. 
In a few years physical science will discover forms 
of Energy which will give a still more striking evi- 
dence of "thinking" or "rational action," than any now 
known. The discoveries that will follow that of Ra- 
dium, will cause a most startling revolution of scien- 
tific thought. Science is almost on the border line 
separating Mind and Matter— they will soon be seen as 
one in the final analysis, with Energy forming the 
centre. 

We are unable to exhibit to the physical senses of 
students a "piece" of Mind-substance as proof of its 
existence, and although the student of advanced psy- 
chology or occultism may have seen many manifesta- 
tions of it as a force, still this evidence is not as yet 
accepted by material science. And yet every one is 
conscious of that activity of Mind-substance that we 
call "thought." Mind-substance, as well as Energy 
and Matter, must be accepted by the student in some- 
what of an abstract way, for all these three manifesta- 
tions may be known only by their forms of outward 
expression. Thus, the Ether, the highest form of 
Matter, cannot be sensed by Man, and only when its 
atoms combine in the shape of solids, liquids or aeri- 
form matter do the senses take cognizance of it. In 



3 i4 ADVANCED COURSE. 

the same way Energy itself is not in evidence to the 
human mind, and only is sensed when it manifests 
through matter in what we know as forms of Force 
or Motion. And the Mind-substance is known to us 
only as thoughts ; thought- force ; etc. Matter is the 
thing the soul uses to clothe itself in ; Energy is the 
thing the soul uses to act ; Mind-substance is the thing 
the soul uses to think with. 

Mind-substance is the thing by which is set into 
operation the Energy that causes Matter to be in Mo- 
tion. The theory of the material scientists which they 
call the "vortex-ring" theory, is very close to the 
facts as taught by the Yogi Philosophy, and the lat- 
ter carries the theory into the region of Mind as well 
as in that of Matter. The Yogi teaching is that the 
"ultimate atom" of Matter is really a "little whirlpool" 
of ether, in the ether, formed by the action of Energy 
upon the Ether. The ether itself, being frictionless, 
the "ring" loses none of its motion, and becomes 
"permanent" (in the relative sense of course, when the 
Absolute is considered) and possesses all the proper- 
ties generally ascribed to matter, i. e., dimension, vol- 
ume, elasticity, attraction, extension, etc., and also pos- 
sesses motion in itself. These "rings" are of various 
sizes and rates of vibration, which fact accounts for 
the different "kinds" of atoms that have been puzzling 
science, which explanation of "kinds" may throw some 
light on the question of the seventy odd "ultimate (?) 
elements" of Matter, that have confronted science. 
(It may be seen that if the rate of vibration or motion 



MIND AND SPIRIT. 315 

of these "rings" be changed, the dream of the alche- 
mists may be realized, and one "element" be trans- 
muted into another, and gold produced from lead. 
Woe unto "High Finance" if some dreamer stumbles 
upon this secret, which is fully known to the "Adepts" 
and "Masters," but for which they have no need or 
use, unless, indeed, they may see fit to use it as a 
means of upsetting prevailing economic conditions, 
and bringing mankind back to "first principles" of 
living. ) 

Science, in its consideration of the vortex-ring the- 
ory of Helmholtz and others, has run up against the 
stone wall regarding the cause of the original mo- 
tion imparted to these "rings" which lie at the bottom 
of the question of Matter as it is known to science. 
They could not imagine the Ether as having sufficient 
intelligence to move of its own accord, even if it had 
the power to do so. Here is where the Yogis come 
to the rescue of their Western brethren, and "lend a 
hand" in the hour of need. (It is questionable whether 
the Western brother will be so willing to accept the 
extended hand just now, though.) The Yogi Philoso- 
phy teaches that Mind-substance, of course "knowing" 
itself, manifests itself in "Thought." This "thought" 
is reajly a motion in the Chitta or Mind-substance 
caused by its calling to its aid Energy, which energy 
remember has originally been manifested from it. This 
"Thought-force" thus called into play, communicates 
itself to the Ether, and the "vortex-ring" results, and 
the "Ether-whirlpool" becomes an "element" or "atom" 



316 ADVANCED COURSE. 

in matter, possessing form, dimensions, etc., as well 
as having within itself Energy and Mind, thus form- 
ing the trinity of Matter, Energy and Sensation spoken 
of in our last lesson as being taught by Haekel and the 
physical scientists. Some of the Yogi teachers prefer 
to describe the process as follows (merely a different 
manner of presentation). They say: The Ether hav- 
ing proceeded from Mind-substance, through Energy, 
has in itself the elements of its "grandparent and 
parent" (Mind-substance and Energy, or Chitta and 
Prana), its inheritance, which it is capable of using. 
So it merely thinks the Energy into motion and forms 
the "atom-ring" in itself, for the purpose of further 
manifestation. This view gives the impression of Mat- 
ter being possessed of Mind and power of Motion, 
which, to a certain extent is correct, although the 
three manifestations are somewhat different, and all 
proceed from one original source — the Absolute. 

So you see the Yogis teach that all Matter (as 
known to our senses) is the result of a Thought; and 
that Thought is "Mind in Action" ; and that Action is 
the outcome of Energy ; and that Energy is the prod- 
uct of Mind-substance — therefore indeed Matter is 
Mind — All is Mind — not only in a metaphysical or 
mystic sense, but in reality. The teaching conveys 
the remarkable truth that everything in the material 
world has been THOUGHT into existence. In this 
teaching may be found the practical explanation of the 
theories of the metaphysical schools and cults which 
claim that "All is Mind," and that "Matter is Noth- 



MIND AND SPIRIT. 317 

ing," and then build up a structure of metaphysical 
and religious theory upon that foundation. But such 
thinkers often ignore that great underlying Truth, 
that both Mind and Matter — Mind as well as Matter- 
are but relativities and do not exist in themselves, but 
are manifestations and emanations of the Absolute, 
which is the only Real Being; which is All there Is. 
Beware of making a God of Mind, or of Matter — 
both are false gods. The Absolute is the One — the 
only One. 

We have taken Western physical science into con- 
sideration in our explanation of the Yogi teachings 
of the Three Great Manifestations, in order to show 
the points of agreement and difference; and that the 
Western mind might be able to more readily absorb 
the Oriental thought by associating the same with 
the thought more familiar to the Western world ; and 
also that the student might perceive that the mind 
of man, as it unfolds, travels toward the same intel- 
lectual conclusions and seeks to make truth axiomic 
and self-evident. But we wish to add, at this point, 
that although using the Intellect just as the Western 
scientists are now doing, the Yogi Fathers or ancient 
teachers (as well as their advanced modern follow- 
ers) verify their conclusions by the use of the un- 
folded higher faculties of the mind — the region of the 
Spiritual Mind. In some of these higher mental states, 
made possible by Yogi development, the Yogi realizes 
that he simply "knows" certain things to be true, with- 
out reference to the familiar intellectual processes. 



3i8 ADVANCED COURSE. 

This "knowing" cannot be understood by those fa- 
miliar only to the operation of that part of the mind 
known as Intellect, but those who have experienced 
it know it to be a higher form of reason than is the 
Intellect, which it transcends and surpasses but does 
not necessarily contradict. Many things that the In- 
tellect is beginning to see as truth, are at once recog- 
nized and understood by the Higher Consciousness, 
and the conclusions of the Intellect are thus verified. 
But many results are reached in a different way, vis., 
the Higher Consciousness sees and "knows" certain 
things to be so, and the man, relapsing into his ordi- 
nary consciousness carries with him the impression, 
knowledge and certainty of the truth of some thing, 
but is not able to express it or explain it (even to him- 
self) in the terms and by the processes of the Intel- 
lect. Consequently, a sage may "know" a thing quite 
surely, having received his information through the 
higher channels of the mind (often in the form of 
symbols), but may find it very hard to explain its 
details to others, or even himself. He may know 
that a thing is, but cannot tell the zvhy and hou of it, 
or explain its relations to other things and ideas. The 
Yogis teach that all truth regarding the Universe, from 
the point when it began to be manifested from the 
Absolute, are locked up in some part of the Mind- 
substance, and as all parts of the Mind-substance are 
identical in nature and principle (just as are the drops 
of a body of water) so does every man's mind "know" 
all truth of the manifested Universe, and the bringing 



MIND AND SPIRIT. 319 

of such knowledge into the field of consciousness is 
a matter of unfoldment — in the end we shall know 
all. The consciousness is the relative "I," which is 
always growing and enlarging its field of conscious- 
ness, or rather, moving its field of consciousness to- 
ward higher regions of the mind. But the Mind of 
Man cannot know the secrets and mysteries of the 
Absolute itself — none but the Absolute may know it- 
self — and the Mind can know only itself, that is, all 
that emerged from the Absolute in manifestation or 
emanation. There is a difference and distinction here 
— do you see it? But the At man — the Divine Prin- 
ciple in Man — that something above even Mind — which 
is the real Self — that real presence of the Absolute — 
knows the knowledge of the Absolute — jtself — and 
when Man at length throws off all the confining 
sheaths — even that of the highest forms of the Spir- 
itual Mind, and becomes merged with his Real Self, 
then shall he know all, for he will have found himself 
in the Absolute, and his consciousness and knowledge 
shall include the All — then will he cease to be Man. 

Those of our students who are interested in the sci- 
entific side of the subject, may be interested in the 
statement that those of the Yogis who impart the 
scientific side of the philosophy, teach that neither 
Matter, Akasa, in its highest form of Ether — Prana 
in its essence or highest form — nor Mind- substance 
in itself — are atomic. None of these manifestations, 
in their essence, are atomic, but what are called the 
atoms of each are really "vortex-rings" in the thing 



3 20 ADVANCED COURSE. 

itself, which form atoms, such atoms forming combi- 
nations which become apparent to bhe senses. For 
instance, Mind-substance, when combining with action, 
forms atoms called Thought; Energy when in action 
manifests atoms called Motion or Force. Energy in 
itself is passive, if the paradox may be voiced ; and 
the essence of Matter which we called the highest 
Ether, when acted upon by Energy under the direc- 
tion of Mind, is formed into vortex-rings called atoms, 
which form into the grosser forms of Matter, i. e., 
solid ; liquid, and aeriform. 

Lest we be accused of fitting a new Western scien- 
tific theory to the old Yogi philosophy, we refer the 
student to the Sanscrit word "Vritta" (found in the 
Vedas or ancient Yogi writings) which means waves 
or vibrations of Mind, forming ''thought," the literal 
translation of the word "Vritta" being "whirlpool." 
As "vortex" (the word used in Western science) also 
means "whirlpool," and as both refer to a movement 
in "substance," presumably causing the formation of 
"atoms," it will be seen that the Yogi is merely voicing 
his ancient teachings when his theories crowd the 
"vortex-ring" theory very close. 

In this lesson we cannot attempt to go into the sub- 
ject of the workings of the mind ; the principles un- 
derlying the same, or the physical effects producible 
by thought. These things, the psychology of the 
Yogis, as well as the teachings regarding the Dynamics 
of Thought, belong to that part of the philosophy 



MIND AND SPIRIT. 321 

known as "Raja Yoga," which will be taken up in 
our next course of lessons. 

We wish to say here, however, that students must 
not mistake the brain or the brain-matter for Mind- 
substance. The brain-matter is merely the material 
or matter through which Mind-substance manifests 
itself. The student will find it better to think of Mind- 
substance as a force, rather than as a form of Matter. 
The word "substance" when used in connection with 
Mind, seems to give the idea of a "material" substance 
or form of matter, which is far from being a true idea 
of its nature. And yet, we cannot very well say 
"Mind-Force," for that would indicate either a com- 
bination of Mind and Force, or that form of Force 
used by the Mind when in activity. Mind-substance 
is a higher form of Energy, and remains, like Energy 
itself, in a quiet or passive state in its essence. Only 
when aroused into Thought does it form a union with 
active Force. Remember these points please. 

Concluding this consideration of Mind-substance, 
we would say that it is omnipresent, that is present 
everywhere, and like Energy and Matter (its progeny) 
it cannot be changed, added to, or taken away from. 
Moreover, it cannot be really divided or separated, 
although in appearance it may be. That is, although 
the mind of each Ego or Soul represents so much 
Mind-substance, apparently separated from other 
Mind-substance by a thin wall of the finest kind of 
matter, yet, in reality, each mind is in touch with other 
separated minds, and with the Universal Mind, of 



Z22 ADVANCED COURSE. 

which it forms a part. All Mind-substance is not sep- 
arated or expressed in the shape of individual minds 
any more than is all Ether manifested in gross Mat- 
ter, or all Energy converted into Force or Motion. 
We would also have you remember that there is na 
such thing as "dead" matter, for all the Universe is 
alive. And every particle of Matter contains Energy 
and Mind-substance. The Universe is a great big 
vibrating, thinking thing, from atom to sun, although 
its "thinking" may vary from the faintest form of mere 
sensation or feeling (even chemical attraction and 
repulsion being a form of sensation) up to the high- 
est form of mental effort known to man or beings much 
higher than man. 

The Atman, or Spirit. 

We now pass on to a consideration of the Atman, 
the Real Self, the Spirit, and its expression in Man. 
In the consideration of it, we shall drop the Sanscrit 
term Atman, and will use the word "Spirit," to con- 
vey the same meaning. We mention the Sanscrit term 
only that you may recognize and understand it when 
you see it in other writings on the subject. 

To grasp the idea of Spirit, we must turn the mind 
upon the subject of the Absolute. In a previous les- 
son we have tried to give you the report of the In- 
tellect upon its consideration of the Absolute. In that 
report we have tried to tell you what the Intellect 
finds itself compelled to believe or acknowledge. We 
may say here that this testimony of the Intellect is con- 



MIND AND SPIRIT. 323 

firmed by the testimony of the higher faculties of the 
mind, and the advanced souls of all ages, who have 
acquired spiritual insight, corroborate the report of the 
Intellect regarding its conceptions of the Absolute. 
The highest reports are along the same lines. But, 
student, remember this fact which is lost sight of by 
many investigators — the Mind, even the Mind of the 
most advanced souls, can report only that which it 
finds within itself. And even the Universal Mind, 
the sum-total of all the Mind that has been projected 
by the Absolute — and this includes such part of the 
Mind as is now manifested in conscious intelligence 
as well as Mind not so manifested — is not able to go 
outside of itself for knowledge. It is conditioned and 
limited, the limitations and conditions having been 
placed upon it by the Absolute. So, you see that even 
the Universal Mind — the sum-total of all the mind 
there is— can report only what it knows in itself, and 
can give no report concerning the nature of the Ab- 
solute, other than that which the Absolute allows it to 
have and has deposited in it. The Universal Mind is 
not the Absolute, remember, but merely an emanation 
of it. The Mind — the Intellect and the higher phases 
— gives us a report of what it finds within itself re- 
garding the Absolute, and we are able to say that ac- 
cording to the testimony of the Mind we must believe 
that the Absolute is certain things, and has certain 
qualities and attributes. But, the advanced student 
will see readily that even this conception and testi- 
mony is relative and not absolute. It is only truth 



324 ADVANCED COURSE. 

as we see it, and not Truth Absolute, for the latter 
belongs to the Absolute itself, and is not capable of 
being thought of by finite mind — even the Universal 
Mind. The Universal Mind is not Omniscient — it 
does not know everything. It knows every particle of 
knowledge (down to the finest detail) of itself, and of 
the Universe. It must do this, for it is the Mind of 
the Universe, and knows itself and all through which 
it works — itself and its tools. But it cannot transcend 
or go beyond its own limits and it is confined on all 
sides by the "dead line" separating it from the Ab- 
solute. This separation is only relative and not real— 
that is, it is real to the Universal Mind, but not real 
to the Absolute. The Universal Mind, however, 
knows positively the existence of the Absolute, for it 
recognizes its presence at the point of apparent sep- 
aration, and thus has every evidence of the reality 
of the Absolute. It is able also to "know that it does 
not know," because it knows that it knows all within 
its own province, and, of course, sees that that which 
it sees but cannot understand is the Unknowable to it. 
So that there are some things that the Universal Mind 
does not know, not in the sense of not having as yet 
found out, but in the sense of their being "beyond 
knowledge," as the Mind understands knowledge, but 
which, of course, are fully understood and known to 
the Absolute itself. The Absolute must know itself, 
and all things ; for it is Omniscient or All-Knowing. 
Omniscience is vested in the Absolute, and all other 
knowledge is relative, imperfect, and incomplete. The 



MIND AND SPIRIT. 325 

student is again reminded that what we call the Uni- 
versal Mind, is not something through which the Ab- 
solute thinks, but something through which the Uni- 
verse thinks — the Universe being the sum-total of the 
emanations of the Absolute, and not the Absolute it- 
self. The soul of Man is capable of drawing upon the 
Universal Mind for a knowledge of everything it 
knows, and the advanced souls avail themselves of this 
privilege according to their degree of unfoldment. 
Such souls report the fact of the existence of the Ab- 
solute, which had been predicated by the Intellect, but 
they also report that they are unable to pass over the 
border. 

So you see that the Absolute in itself is Unknowable 
— all that we can know of it, is what the Universal 
Mind knows of it, and that knowledge, of necessity, 
must come from "the outside," the "inside" knowledge 
being found within the Absolute itself. We may be 
able to solve the Riddle of the Universe, as we un- 
fold, but we can never hope to know the real nature 
of the Absolute until we pass beyond the limits of even 
the highest manifestation of Mind, and pass into a 
consciousness and realization of our Real Self — Spirit. 
For this is the Truth, that in each and all of us is to 
be found a particle of the Absolute itself, uncondi- 
tioned and unlimited, and that the Real Self of each 
of us is the Real Self of All — the Spirit, Attnan, the 
drop from the ocean of the Absolute — the ray of the 
sun of the Absolute — the particle of the Sacred Flame. 

This Spirit, being the Absolute, of course knows the 

■jf 



326 ADVANCED COURSE. 

Absolute and its mysteries and secrets, and when we 
finally enter into a consciousness of that Spirit we shall 
then know all, for we shall be at One with the Ab- 
solute — at Union with God. This is one of the high- 
est teachings of the Yogi Philosophy. 

The teaching is that this tiny bit of the Absolute — 
which is apparently separated, but is not really sepa- 
rated, from the One — is the highest principle within 
each soul. Even the lowest form of soul contains it. 
It is always there, and we may perceive its light to a 
greater and still greater degree as we unfold and our 
consciousness moves up a degree toward it. The Spirit 
is ever there — changeless. But the consciousness of 
the Ego is constantly moving upward toward the 
Spirit, and will in time merge in it. This is the end of 
Spiritual evolution, and all the effort of the soul is 
toward this goal. Life is the effort of the soul to free 
itself from its confining sheaths — a desire to avail 
itself of its inheritance. 

We come now to the great Mystery. The student 
who has followed our teachings closely will now find 
himself asking the question — that question which has 
been asked by the souls of all ages when they reached 
this stage of their unfoldment, or investigation. The 
question may be expressed in this way : "Why did the 
Absolute separate itself, or a portion of itself, into 
parts; or apparent parts; or apparently so separate it- 
self — what was the use — what does it all mean— what 
was the sense of it? There could have been no neces- 
sity for it, for the Absolute is beyond necessity — there 



MIND AND SPIRIT. 327 

could have been no object, for the Absolute possesses 
all there is, and is perfect — it could not have 
been the result of any desire, for the Absolute 
must be desireless. Therefore why did it ema- 
nate into the Universe at all ; and why did it cause 
that which we call 'souls' to exist; and why did it 
place a portion (or apparent portion) of itself within 
each soul? As everything must have emanated from 
the Absolute, and as everything must return to it, 
what is the use of it all, what does it all mean ?" 

We have expressed this question as clearly as we 
can conceive it. and we cheerfully admit that we are 
unable to answer it, and have seen no answer or expla- 
nation worthy of serious consideration. The answer 
is locked up in the Absolute, and Mind, being a mani- 
festation, cannot grasp that which is beyond the plane 
of manifestation. 

Many thinkers have attempted to answer this ques- 
tion, and the schools of thought of the East and West 
have indulged in various speculations regarding it. 
Some say that the separation has not even a shadow 
of truth in reality, and that Maya, or ignorance and 
illusion, causes us to see the One as Many. But this 
does not answer the question — it merely puts it back 
another stage — -for whence comes the illusion, and how 
could the Absolute be made a subject of illusion? And 
if we, the projection of the Absolute, fail to see our 
identity or relationship, then the Absolute must be the 
cause of the non-seeing. Some would say that we are 
self-hypnotized into seeing ourselves as separated, but 



328 ADVANCED COURSE. 

this is no real answer, for if we are hypnotized then 
the Absolute must he the cause of it, unless we assume 
that the Absolute is self-hypnotized, which thought is 
ridiculous. Similar to this is the explanation that this 
world — the Universe — is but the "dream" of the Abso- 
lute. How could the Absolute "dream"? Akin to 
these so-called explanations is that which holds that 
the phenomenal world, including Man, is the result 
of the "play" or "pastime" of the Absolute. Such an 
explanation is absurd, as it reduces the Absolute to the 
condition of a child or adult man seeking diversion 
and "fun." Besides this, such a being would be a 
Devil rather than a God. Others would have it that 
the Universe has no existence at all, but is merely a 
"thought" of the Absolute. This explanation will not 
answer, for while the emanation probably was occa- 
sioned by a process something akin to "thought" as we 
know it, there is a sense of reality in every human soul 
that will not admit of its being a "thought" or "day- 
dream." This consciousness of the reality of "I," pos- 
sessed by each of us, is caused by the sense of the 
presence of the Spirit, and is a reflection upon our 
Mind of the knowledge of the real "I" of the Spirit, 
which is the sense of "I" of the Absolute. The presence 
of this "I" sense in each is a proof that we are all of 
the "I" of the Absolute, and are not foreign to the 
Real Being. This idea of "Brahma's play with the 
Universe," and his reabsorption of the objects of play 
into himself, after the sport is over, is the result of a 
childish mythology that even some of the learned Hin- 



MIND AND SPIRIT. 329 

dus have allowed to become fastened upon them by the 
fairy-tales of their ancestors. It is but another form 
of anthropomorphism — the tendency to make of God 
an exaggerated Man. We are forced to admit the 
"illusion" arising from an imperfect conception of the 
true nature of things, and the Yogi student fully 
realizes that many things that seem very real to the 
soul still in the bondage of ignorance — still in the illu- 
sion of name and form — are in reality far from being 
what they seem. He sees self-hypnotization on the 
part of many, and realizes what it means to be 
awakened from this world of delusion and to be eman- 
cipated, freed, delivered from it all. Nearly every stu- 
dent who reads this lesson has had a greater or less 
experience of this awakening, or he would not be able 
to take enough interest in the lesson to read it. But 
this sense of perception of the illusion, and the com- 
parative "game-tasks'" and play of the world, does not 
carry with it the explanation or reason for it all as it 
must appear to the Absolute. It may tell us many 
things about the "How" side of things, but is abso- 
lutely silent regarding the "Why" of it. The "How" 
belongs to the plane of manifestation, and the Uni- 
versal Mind finds that plane within its jurisdiction. 
But the "Why" plane belongs to the Absolute itself, 
and the doors are closed to the Mind. We may actually 
know — and many of us do — that the Absolute IS. Not 
only because our Intellect makes necessary the ac- 
ceptance of the fact, but because the higher regions of 
the mind give us a positive knowledge of His pres- 



330 ADVANCED COURSE. 

ence. The soul, when sufficiently unfolded, finds within 
itself that wonderful something, the Spirit, and knows 
it to be higher than any phase of Mind. And the 
Universal Mind (which may be explored by the Adept 
or Master) finds itself confronted with the Absolute, 
and cannot doubt its existence. But the soul may not 
understand the "whyness" of the Spirit, nor the Uni- 
versal Mind the "Whyness" of the Absolute. 

Minds in all ages have endeavored to solve this Mys- 
tery of the Absolute and its Manifestations. And 
equally futile have been their attempts to find the 
answer. Plotinus, the Greek philosopher, thought that 
the One could not dwell alone, but must forever bring 
forth souls from himself. Some of the Hindu writers 
have thought that love or even desire were the mov- 
ing reasons for the manifestations ; the longing to go 
out from self ; the desire for companionship ; the 
craving for something to love ; these and similar rea- 
sons were given. Some have even spoken of the Ab- 
solute "sacrificing" itself in becoming "many" instead 
of one. One Hindu writer assumes that the Absolute 
"causes his life to be divided, not content to be alone." 
But, in closing this consideration of the "Why," we 
must remind the student that each of these "explana- 
tions" is based upon a mental conception that the Ab- 
solute is like a Man, and acts from similar motives, 
and through a similar mind. It seems that anthropo- 
morphism (the representation of Deity with human 
attributes) dies hard, and raises its head even in phi- 
losophies which claim to have long since performed 



MIND AND SPIRIT. 331 

funeral services over it. The student is cautioned 
against falling into any of these pitfalls of thought, his 
safety lying in the recollection that all these so-called 
"causes" and "explanations" and "theories" arise 
from an impution to the Absolute — the Uncondi- 
tioned — the Unmanifest — the attributes, thoughts, mo- 
tives, and actions of the Relative, Conditioned, Mani- 
fested. The answer to this "Why" can come only 
from the Absolute, and will be ours only when we 
reach the consciousness of the Spirit—in the mean- 
time let us be Men, and acknowledge that : "/ (in my 
present state) do not know/* 

But though we may not know the "Why," we" have 
the whole field of the Universe at our disposal in in- 
vestigating the "How." And every detail of the work- 
ing of the Universe is possible to the knowledge of 
the human mind. In fact, it is already known to the 
Universal Mind, and to those who are able to explore 
that vast region to its limits. And every human soul 
contains, potentially, the knowledge of the Universal 
Mind. In solution, in every mind, is all the knowl- 
edge of the Universe, and the exploration of the 
whole ocean is but the exploration of the drop. The 
adept is able to ascertain every bit of "knowledge" 
possessed by the Universal Mind by the exploration of 
his own drop of Mind-substance. And he is able to 
come in contact with all "thought" vibration or waves 
in the great ocean of Mind, because each drop has 
relation to every other drop and with the Whole. 
Knowledge does not come from without, nor is it 



332 ADVANCED COURSE. 

manufactured by brains. It comes from within, and 
is simply the ability to grasp that which already ex- 
ists. All knowledge is known to the Universal Mind, 
and to our drop of the same, and the "new" knowl- 
edge that comes to us is not created, but is drawn 
from that which already is, the Realization coming 
from our ability to sense it — our unfoldment. And 
so, while even the highest developed soul must take 
"on faith" certain questions regarding the Absolute, 
still it may assure itself of the existence of that Abso- 
lute, and acquaint itself with the "how" of the ma- 
chinery of the Universe, and even may be able to 
take a conscious part in the operation of things. The 
Mind may be used to mould Matter by Energy, and 
to do things which to the ordinary man might seem 
miraculous, but which are quite within the realm of 
the Universal cause and effect. And the developed 
soul may, by its knowledge, raise itself to a position 
zvhere it is immune from the operation of cause and 
effect on the lower planes of manifestation. The 
Yogis do not ask their students to take everything "on 
faith," as the riddles of the Universe may be solved 
by the Mind, and each step verified by actual experi- 
ment and experience. There is a Faith that "Knows" 
— and the advanced Yogi possesses it. But beware of 
the teacher who claims to be able to explain by his 
manifested Mind — by means of manifested thought 
and expression — to your manifested Mind, the secret 
and mystery of the "Why" of the Absolute, which is 
beyond manifestation and knowledge by means of the 



MIND AND SPIRIT. 333 

Mind. When in sore doubt and mental distress over 
the questions that inevitably arise, from time to time, 
regarding this last question — this Great Mystery — 
calm the mind, and open it to the influence of the 
Spirit, and you will find Peace and Bliss — that 
"Peace which passeth Understanding." 

The Soul is a "Centre of Consciousness" (for want 
of a better name we call it this). It contains the 
Divine Spark surrounded by confining sheaths of 
Mind-substance (in several forms and degrees) ; En- 
ergy, and Matter. Even when it leaves the body upon 
the occasion of physical death, it does not depart from 
Matter, for it has several vehicles or bodies of Matter 
of varying degrees of fineness, the several forms of 
Mind-substance itself being provided with a very fine 
"coat" of Matter which separates it from the Uni- 
versal Mind in a measure, making it an "entity" while 
yet in communication with the Universal Mind and 
other individual minds. It may be called an Ego — 
or a Spiritual Monad, as some have termed it — names 
explaining but little. It is projected into Matter of 
the grossest kind, and from thence works its way by 
stages of evolution to higher and higher forms until, 
in the end, after passing through stages when it be- 
comes as a god, it is again taken into the Absolute, 
not in the form of being "thrown in a melting pot" 
but in the sense of having a consciousness of the Ab- 
solute and realizing its oneness with it. This last 
fact is known from the testimony of those souls which 
have reached the last stage preparatory to the attain- 



334 ADVANCED COURSE. 

ment of Oneness — Nirvana. There is a stage just 
before this final attainment, when the soul pauses for 
a moment which sometimes extends over millions of 
years, and during which time the soul often tempora- 
rily renounces its immediate attainment and returns 
to the active Universe in order to help other souls on 
their upward journey. The reason for all of this 
journey on the Path, from gross Matter unto the 
highest stages, is known only to the Absolute, as we 
have explained, but we are fully able to see the progres- 
sive steps on the journey, and to feel the attraction of 
the Absolute as well as the Divine urge within us, 
causing us to mount step after step of the ladder of 
Attainment. And we are able to deduce therefrom, 
both through our Intellects and our higher mental 
faculties, that that which leads the soul upward is 
"Right" and "Good," and that which retards its prog- 
ress, or causes it to linger at some low stage of the 
journey, is "Wrong" or "Bad," and we are therefore 
able to deduce rules of conduct and ethics therefrom, 
although ethics, and the idea of "right and wrong," 
"good and bad," etc., are all relative as we have ex- 
plained in our lessons on Dharma. Any step in which 
is recognized the Oneness of All, is always higher 
than the step just below it in which the recognition is 
not so plain. Upon these conceptions depend all that 
we know as Right and Wrong — "Good and Bad." 

The "How" of the projection of the Spirit into 
Matter — the birth of the Soul, we may call it — is said 
by those advanced souls who have risen to planes 



MIND AND SPIRIT. 335 

wherein they may witness many of the processes of 
the Universe, to be caused by an action of Divine 
Will somewhat akin to the expression of an earnest 
Desire on the part of Man. God "thinks" and the 
manifestation occurs. (Of course the act is not 
"thinking" just as we know the word, but we cannot 
describe it better.) If we may be pardoned for using 
an illustration taken from human experience, and if 
you will remember that we realize the absurdity of 
comparing any act of the Absolute to any 
act of Man, we would say that this act of 
the establishing of the Centre of Conscious- 
ness — the birth of a Soul — the projection of 
Spirit into the confining sheaths of Mind, Energy, 
and Matter — is in the nature of the pro-creation and 
birth of a child. The Absolute may be compared to 
the Father-Mother elements in One — the Spirit may 
be compared to the child begotten of those elements. 
The child, in such a case, must be begotten of the 
nature, character and quality of the parents. The 
Spirit must be of God, and be the soul of the soul — 
the sheaths of Matter, Mind and Energy must be the 
body of the child. And both the soul and body of the 
child must have been begotten of and composed of the 
substance of which the parents were composed, for 
there is nothing else from which it could have been 
produced. A Western writer named Calthrop hath 
truly said: "Of the very substance of God (in perfect 
accordance with the law of all parenthood) we, his 
children, body as well as soul, come. Verily we are 



336 ADVANCED COURSE. 

begotten, not made; being of one substance, and chil- 
dren because we are so in very deed and truth." 

Like the human child that is plunged into low ma- 
terial form at the beginning, only to grow by degrees 
into consciousness, self-consciousness, manhood, until 
it is one with its father in power, form and intelli- 
gence, so is this Divine child projected into the low- 
est form of Matter (which may be called "the body 
of God") and as it unfolds it rises from lower to 
higher form, and then on to still higher and higher and 
higher, until the mind reels at the thought. And at 
the end when maturity is reached, the soul finds itself 
before the mansion of the Father, and the doors are 
opened for it, and it enters and flings itself upon the 
breast of the Father that is waiting to receive it — 
and then the doors are closed and we may not see 
what follows. Safe in the bosom of its father the 
Soul, now grown to maturity, is resting — it has come 
home after many weary years of wandering — it has 
come Home. 

Another illustration, that has a meaning that will 
be apparent to the more advanced of our students, is 
as follows : As the Sun is reflected in the Ocean, and 
in every tiny drop of the ocean if they be separated, 
so is the Absolute (God) reflected in the bosom of the 
Great Universal Mind, and in each individual mani- 
festation of that Mind as a "Soul." The Sun when 
reflected in the Ocean of the Universal Mind is called 
The Absolute (God) — when it is reflected in the cen- 
tre of the drop called the "individual soul" it is called 



MIND AND SPIRIT. 337 

the Spirit. The Reflection is not the Sun itself, and 
yet it is not an illusion or a false thing — for the Sun 
has sent forth a part of itself ; its energy ; its heat ; its 
light; its substance; and so, both the ocean and the 
drop really partake of the Self of the Absolute — the 
Spirit of the drop is Real. And this is the miracle 
and the Mystery, that while the Presence is in the 
drop, still the Sun itself (as a Whole) is not there, 
except in appearance. One seeing the reflection in 
the drop, sees the shape and light of the Sun, and yet 
the Sun is in the heavens. So that while the Sun is in 
the drop it is in the heavens — and while it is in 
the heavens it is in the drop. This is the Divine Para- 
dox — that contains within it the explanation of the 
Many which is One, and the One which is Many, each 
being real — each being apparently separated, and yet 
really not separated. And the Sun may shine on mil- 
lions of drops, and the drops may reflect millions of 
Suns in that way. Yet while each drop contains the 
Sun, still there is only One Sun, and it still remains in 
the heavens. He who can grasp this parable has 
grasped the secret of the relation of the Spirit to the 
Absolute — of the Many to the One. This is our mes- 
sage to our students as we close this series of lessons. 
Hark ye to it ! 

May each drop understand that it has within it the 
Sun of Life, and learn to grow into an actual realiza- 
tion of its Presence. Peace be with You. 



ADVANCED COURSE 

IN 

YOGI PHILOSOPHY 

AND 

ORIENTAL OCCULTISM 

By YOGI RAMACHARAKA 

Author of " Science of Breath,'" "Hatha Yoga," "Fourteen 

Lessons" Etc. 



T HIS book consists of Twelve Lessons, originally issued in 
monthly parts, treating upon the more advanced branches 
of the Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism. It is prac- 
tically a sequel to our book ' 'Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Phil- 
osophy and Oriental Occultism," and continues the teachings 
of the "Fourteen Lessons," and leads the students to higher 
planes of thought, as well showing him the deeper phases of 
occult truth. This book is intended only for those who feel 
an earnest attraction toward the higher teachings. It is only 
for earnest students, inspired by the highest motives. Those 
for whom these teachings are intended will feel attracted to 
them. If you feel attracted toward this work, we will be 
glad to have you study it, if not, we will feel just as kindly 
toward you, and will send you our best wishes for the hasten- 
ing of the day when you will be ready for the advanced teach- 
ings. The matter is one entirely for the guidance of your 
Higher Self — let it decide for you. 

This Book is Well Printed-New Type—Good Paper«Nearly 
350 Pages-Silk Cloth Covers-Strong Durable Binding 

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SYNOPSIS OF 

The Fourteen Lessons 



LESSON I. On the Threshold—The Constitution of Man— The Seven 
Principles of Man — The Physical Body— The Astral Body — Prana or 
Vital Force. 

LESSON II. The Fourth and Fifth Principles— The Instinctive Mind— 
The Intellect. 

LESSON III. The Sixth and Seventh Principles— The Spiritual Mind 
— Spirit — Illumination, or Spiritual Consciousness. 

LESSON IV. The Human Aura— Health Aura— Pranic Aura— Aura of 
the three Mental Principles— Spirit Aura — Auric Colors, Phenomena, 
etc. 

LESSON V. Thought Dynamics— The nature, quality, and power of 
Thought— Thought Forms— Thought Influences— The Occult Teach- 
ings on this great subject. 

LESSON VI. Clairvoyance, Clairaudience, Psychometry, Telepathy, 
etc.— How to develop Psychic powers. 

LESSON VII. Human Magnetism — Pranic Energy— Uses and Proper- 
ties — Directions for development and use. 

LESSON VIII. Occult Therapeutics— Spiritual Healing— Mental Heal- 
ing — Pranic Healing — Theory and Practice. 

LESSON IX. Psychic Influence— Personal Magnetism— Mesmerism, 
etc., explained, with instructions regarding self-protection and warn- 
ings against misuse of the power — A timely lesson upon an important 
subject. 

LESSON X. The Astral World; Its Phenomena— The Astral Body- 
Astral Helpers, etc. 

LESSON XI. Beyond the Border— The survival of the Ego after passing 
out of the physical body — Where it goes and what it does after the 
change called Death. 

LESSON XII. Spiritual Evolution — The Growth of the Soul— Its 
Travels — Its Purpose — Its Goal. 

LESSON XIII. Spiritual Cause and Effect— The Yogi teachings regard- 
ing the puzzling questions of Human Life, Conduct— The Sowing and 

the Reaping explained, 

LESSON XIV. The Yogi'* Path of Attainment— The Threefold Path- 
Methods— Directions— Plans— Exercises, etc.— Advice and Wordt of 
Encouragement to the Neophyte. 



HATHA YOGA 

OR 
THE YOGI PHILOSOPHY OF 

PHYSICAL WELL-BEING 



WITH NUMEROUS EXERCISES, ETC. 



By YOGI RAMACHARAKA 

Author of "Science of Breath" ''Yogi Philosophy and Oriental 
Occultism," Etc. 



A Complete Manual of the Great Oriental Yogi System of Physical Well- 
Being — Health — Strength — and Vigor. It Preaches a Sane, Normal, 
Simple Theory of Physical Health, and tells how to put the theory 
into practice. It teaches that the Body is the Temple of 
the Soul, and should be kept clean and in good order. Its 
keynote is the healthy Man and Woman. Its pur- 
pose, the instruction of mankind to conform to 
the standard of that healthy man or woman. 



Well Printed— Large Clear Type— Good Paper— Stitched 
Back Binding — Silk Cloth Cover— Nearly 250 Pages 

Bft*AiD ONE DOLLAR 

All of our books are sold with privilege of 24 hours' examination. Ym& 
money back if you don't like them. 



THE YOGI PUBLICATION SOCIETY 
MASONIC TEMPLE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 



Hatha Yoga 



CHAPTER I. 


What is Hatha Yoga? 


CHAPTER II. 


The Yogis' Regard for the Physical Body, 


CHAPTER III. 


The Work of the Divine Architect. 


CHAPTER IV. 


Our Friend, the Vital Force. 


CHAPTER V. 


The Laboratory of the Body. 


CHAPTER VI. 


The Life Fluid. 


CHAPTER VII. 


The Crematory of the System. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


Nourishment. 


CHAPTER IX. 


Hunger vs. Appetite. 




4 The Yogi Theory and Practice of Prana 
( Absorption from Food. 


CHAPTER X. 


CHAPTER XI. 


About Food. 


CHAPTER XII. 


The Irrigation of the Body. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


The Ashes of the System. 


CHAPTER XIV. 


Yogi Breathing. 


CHAPTER XV. 


Effect of Correct Breathing. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


Breathing Exercises. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


Nostril Breathing vs. Mouth Breathing. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 


The Little Lives of the Body. 


CHAPTER XIX. 


The Control of the Involuntary System. 


CHAPTER XX. 


Pranic Energy. 


CHAPTER XXI. 


Pranic Exercises. 


CHAPTER XXII. 


The Science of Relaxation. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 


Rules for Relaxation. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


The Use of Physical Exercise. 


CHAPTER XXV. 


Some Yogi Physical Exercises. 


CHAPTER XXVI. 


The Yogi Bath. 


CHAPTER XXVII. 


The Solar Energy. 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 


Fresh Air. 


CHAPTER XXIX. 


Nature's Sweet Restorer— Sleep. 


CHAPTER XXX. 


Regeneration. 


CHAPTER XXXI. 


The Mental Attitude. 


CHAPTER XXXII. 


Led by the Spirit. 



,.,.,_ JJ&Jfk 



THE HIND UOfOGI 

BBSS5S ■ 535 . -.- , i ' i ■■■■■;.,' 




ce of Breath 



A Complete Manual of the Oriental Philosophy of Physical* 

Mental. Psychic, and Spiritual Development 

by the Intelligent Control of 

th» Breath. 



By YOGI RAMACHARAKA 



YNOPSIS. —Chapter I. The Hindu Yogis— Something About Their 
Teachings. Chapter II. "Breath is Life" — Teachings of the Ori- 
ent and Occident Compared. Chapter III. The Exoteric Theory 
of Breath. Chapter IV. The Esoteric Theory of Breath— Prana. 
Chapter V. The Nervous System — Yogi Teachings Concerning the 
Solar Plexus — The Solar Plexus a Store-House of Prana. Chapter VI. 
How to Breathe— Oriental Methods. Chapter VII. Four Methods of 
Respiration as Classified by the Yogis — The Yogi Complete Breath. 
Chapter VIII. How to Acquire the Yogi Complete Breath. Chapter IX. 
Physiological Effect of the Complete Breath. Chapter X. Yogi Lore — 
The Yogi Cleansing Breath— The Yogi Nerve Vitalizing Breath — The 
Yogi Vocal Breath. Chapter XI. Seven Yogi Developing Exercises. 
Chapter XIII. Vibration and Yogi Rhythmic Breathing— How to Ascer- 
tain the Heart Beat Unit Used by the Yogis as the Basis of Rhythmic 
Breathing. Chapter XIV. Phenomena of Yogi Psychic Breathing — 
Directions for Yogi Psychic Breathing — Prana Distributing — Inhibiting 
Pain— Self-Healing— Healing Others— Distant Healing. Chapter XV. 
More Phenomena of Yogi Psychic Breathing — Thought Projection- 
Forming an Aura — Recharging Yourself — Recharging Others — Charging 
Water — Acquiring Mental Qualities — Controlling the Emotions — Trans- 
mutation of Reproductive Energy— Brain Stimulating — The Grand Yogi 
Psychic Breath. Chapter XVI. Yogi Spiritual Breathing — Soul Con- 
sciousness — How Unfolded — The Universal Consciousness— How the Yogi 
Attain This Consciousness — General Directions. 



75 PAGES, 5x7 INCHES PRICE, POSTPAID, 50 CENTS 

SOLO SUBJECT TO 24 HOURS' EXAMINATION AND RETURN IF NOT SATISFACTORY 



PUBLISHED Bt . ■ 

THE YOOI PUBLICATION SOCIETY 

MASONIC TEMPLE /, CHICAGO-, ILL. 



*l 



"Light on the Path 



A MANUAL FOR THE PERSONAL 

USE, OF THOSE WHO ARE 

IGNORANT OF THE, 

EASTERN WISDOM 



AND WHO DESIRE TO 
ENTER WITHIN ITS 

INFLUENCE. 

written D0WN M w m.c." 

CLASSIC among occultists, and the best known guide for those 
fAM who w * sl1 to tread the Path of Attainment. This little book will 
be to many the first revelation of that which they have been all 
their lives blindly seeking— the first bit of spiritual bread to sat- 
isfy the hunger of the soul— the first drop of water from the great Foun- 
tain of Life which will quench the thirst which has consumed them. 
Those for whom this book is intended will recognize its inner meaning, 
and will never be the same after they have once read it. If these words 
mean anything to you, rest assured that this little book contains a mes- 
sage for which you have been long waiting. It is as music to the soul of 
those who seek the Divine Harmony. It symbolizes the successive steps 
oV the neophyte in occultism as he mounts the spiral stairway of Attain- 
ment. Its precepts are practically those which were given to the neo- 
phytes in the Great Lodge of The Brotherhood in Ancient Egypt, and 
which for generations past have been handed down from guru to chela 
in India. It is worded in the beautiful poetic style of the Orient. 
Listen to these words from its first page : 

"Before the eyes can see, they must be incapable of tears. Before the 
ear can hear, it must have lost its sensitiveness. Before the voice can speak 
>r> the presence of the Masters, it must have lost the power to wound. Before 
tne soul can stand in the presence of the Masters, its feet must be washed iu 
the blood of the heart." 



This Little Book Consists of 2 Parts, of 21 Precepts each 
Neatly Bound in Leatherette. Price, complete, 10 Cents 

(60LD SUBJECT TO 24 HOURS' EXAMINATION AND RETURN IF NOT SATISFACTORY) 



THE YOGI PUBLICATION SOCIETY 

MASONIC TEMPLE .*. CHICAGO, ILL. 



ft- If 77 3 



A VISIT TO A GNANI 



BY EDWARD CARPENTER. 



Comprising the following Four Parts: 

Part I. The Visit. 

Part II. Consciousness Without Thought. 

Part III. Methods of Attainment. 

Part IV. Traditions of the Ancient Wisdom 
Religion. 



BMOST interesting account of the visit of an English author and 
poet to a Hindu Gnani-Yogi — one of those highly developed 
men of the East, of whom we have had but vague accounts. In 
Part I, the writer tells the story of his visit, and tells it most 
interestingly, giving a vivid description of the Yogi's person- 
ality and surroundings. In Part II, is given a wonderful idea of the 
transcendental stages of consciousness sought and attained by the Yogis 
and occultists. This is one of the clearest, sanest bits of writing on this 
aubject; ever offered to the Western reader. It is worthy of careful read- 
ing by all students of the occult, or of the Eastern Philosophies. Part 
III, gives the Methods of Attainment imparted to the author by the Yogi. 
It contains some highly important information regarding the mastery and 
control of thought, desires, etc. Part IV, gives an interesting account of 
the Eastern Philosophies — their difference from, and resemblance to the 
Western _ thought of to-day. This little book contains more solid infor- 
mation, in a more interesting form, in more condensed shape, than any 
book of its kind we have seen. It reads as' smoothly and entertainingly 
as a novel, and yet deals with subjects of the greatest importance. You 
will like it. 



Jfeatty bound in attractive stiff=paper coVer — 65 pages— 
5x7 inches — good paper— clear large type— special cover design 
PRICE., POSTPAID . . TWENTY-FIVE, CENTS 

All of our books are sold with privilege of 24 hours' 1 examination. 
Your money back if you don't like them. 



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MASONIC TEMPLE .-. CHICAGO, ILL. 



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